


Submersam in Timore

by MyOtherRideisaMasterCycleZero



Category: The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Genre: Aftermath of Torture, Blood and Violence, Explicit Sexual Content, First Time, Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, Happy Ending, Idiots in Love, Implied/Referenced Homophobia, Language, M/M, Male Sheik (Legend of Zelda), Minor Character Death, Nightmares, Post-Canon, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Sheik (Legend of Zelda) is a Separate Character, Tags May Change, Threats of Rape/Non-Con, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, Torture
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-21
Updated: 2020-06-06
Packaged: 2021-03-02 05:14:58
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 7
Words: 32,512
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23779732
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MyOtherRideisaMasterCycleZero/pseuds/MyOtherRideisaMasterCycleZero
Summary: It's been nearly a year since Link defeated the Calamity, and he is desperate to live a quiet, simple life - one that he has chosen for himself. At Zelda's own urging, he moves into the house he purchased in Hateno Village and finds a sense of peace working for Bolson Construction, finding the productive, manual labour calming for both his body and mind. He even finds a happiness he never thought possible in the relationship blooming between himself and Purah's shy, handsome new Sheikah apprentice.However, Link's peace is destined not to last long. Pools of Malice left behind by the Calamity have been festering all over Hyrule. Reports of strange, fearsome creatures emerging from the Malice and roaming the countryside soon demand the Hero's skills once again. Link had hoped beyond hope to put his demons behind him, only to have himself - and now those closest to him - facing an entirely new brand of fear.***(Nov 3, 2020)I have not abandoned this work! Thanks for being patient and sticking with me!***
Relationships: Link/Sheik (Legend of Zelda)
Comments: 52
Kudos: 73





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Welcome to my first published fanfic! I've been writing fanfic of some sort literally since childhood, but have never had the guts to post one until now. Please go easy on me!
> 
> As the tags suggest, you will find sex, torture, violence, and PTSD in this work, however there will also be copious amounts of absolute cavity-inducing fluff. Honestly, angst-heavy relationship stories make me anxious, so you won't find much (if any) of that here. I am missing something in my own life, so this relationship will contain a heavy dose of very author-indulgent lovin'. All conflict in this story will come purely from outside sources.
> 
> Enjoy, and please review!

_"You have more than earned your freedom, Link," Zelda assured him, holding his hands gently in her own. "With Ganon sealed, and the Sheikah to protect me, there are no valid reasons - other than purely selfish ones - to keep you bound to me. Freedom is important, people whither without it. I don't ever want that to happen to you. I couldn't bear it."_

_Link frowned. "What about you, though? You don't exactly have freedom."_

_Zelda smiled wistfully. "My duty is a birthright, passed down through countless generations of the Royal Family by the goddess Hylia Herself. I simply have no choice in the matter. I never did, and accepted that a very long time ago._ Your _duty is fulfilled, and therefore you_ do _have a choice, now."_

_Link couldn't dare to hope. His life had been laid out for him from the moment he was born - as the only son of a high-ranking knight of the Royal Guard, it was simply expected for him to follow in his father's footsteps. As if that hadn't been enough, he had gone and drawn the Master Sword, and his fate had been sealed. Now that the Calamity had finally been defeated, he simply assumed that he would go back to being Zelda's knight._

_He never expected to have a choice._

_"That's not exactly fair-"_

_"Link._ Go _. Be happy." She dropped his hands and gave him a playful push on the chest, causing him to stagger back slightly in surprise. "It's not like we'll never see each other again. I love you dearly, you're my brother in everything but blood. Which is why I must let you go. We'll keep in contact, and rest assured that if I should ever require your services as a knight again, I will ask. But, I promise, you will_ always _be able to say no."_

* * *

That had been mere weeks after Calamity Ganon had been defeated, and a little over nine months ago, now. Link took a deep breath of the late afternoon, early autumn air, and wiped his brow. The temperatures had begun to drop slightly in the recent weeks, but not enough to rid Link's body of the sweat he always accumulated by the end of the work day. It was nearly time to pack it in, so he began to gather up his tools, before climbing down from the top of the house he had been roofing that day.

After the fall of the Calamity, the demand for builders had increased dramatically. Mostly in Castle Town, but in the small villages as well. Link had no interest in heading to Castle Town - too many memories... fragmented as they still were. Besides, he already owned a home in Hateno Village, and knew the owner of Hateno's sole construction company - Bolson of Bolson Construction - quite well. In the wake of Hyrule's construction boom, the cheerfully flamboyant man had had little choice but to start hiring as many workers as he could - whether or not their names ended in "-son". No one had really expected the population to surge overnight, but in the weeks and months that followed the fall of the Calamity, most of the country's transient travellers had decided to settle down permanently, and many people with ancestral roots in Hyrule who were living in foreign lands had decided to return. And more were coming all the time.

Not to mention the _babies_. Babies were starting to be born left, right, and center. It wasn't difficult to figure out what much of Hyrule's meager population had done to celebrate the defeat of the Calamity in the days and weeks following, if the current baby boom was any indication.

Altogether, the situation necessitated an immediate increase in available housing.

Zelda had not considered the restoration of the castle a priority, citing the needs of her people to come first, but her advisors - mainly consisting of Impa and other highly-regarded Sheikah elders - had insisted on restoring the seat of Hyrule's power as quickly as possible, both as a symbol to her own people, and to the leaders of foreign lands. The neighboring countries had remained friendly enough during the one hundred years between the Calamity striking and its fall, but many speculated that that was simply because no one was daft enough to invade a land caught in the grip of an ancient, supernatural evil. Which... was fair. Who really knew what would happen, now, though.

The full restoration of Hyrule would undoubtedly take many, many years. Decades, most likely. Link absolutely did not envy Zelda's job in any way, shape, or form. He often still found himself feeling guilty for leaving, but there was no doubt that she was in very good hands with the Sheikah. The Sheikah had been protecting the Hyrulian Royal Family for thousands of years, and had been the ones to peel his own sorry ass off the grounds of Blatchery Plain after he had pretty much _died_ in the princess' arms, afterall. And, honestly, Link felt far more useful and productive _here_ , building homes for people and families to start their lives in, than he ever did as a glorified babysitter.

"Hey, Hero!"

Link was shaken from his wandering thoughts as one of his fellow construction workers - a young burly fellow by the name of Hano - called out to him. Link had despised the other workers' insistence on the moniker, but soon gave up when he realized it wasn't going anywhere anytime soon. Let them have it, he figured, if it makes them happy.

"Some of us are headed down to the tavern, care to join us?"

The offer was tempting, but really all Link wanted to do was go home, clean the sweat off of himself, and relax. He'd had a terrible sleep the night before - again - and besides that, he was exhausted from the long work day.

"No thanks, Hano. I'm beat. Maybe next time. Be sure to have one for me, though," Link added with a grin.

Hano returned the smile, and nodded. "Next time, then. Hey, looks like Number 5 has a new occupant," he pointed his chin down the row of recently finished homes before disappearing over the ridge to meet up with the other workers.

Link glanced over his shoulder to where Hano had pointed, and indeed spotted a young man unloading a wagon in front of Number 5. Smiling, Link recognized him as a Sheikah immediately - the traditional clothing and silver-blond, nearly white hair being a dead giveaway. He wondered if he had met him before, having spent plenty of time in Kakariko Village both during his quest, and in the immediate weeks following.

Despite his weariness, Link found himself wandering over to the young Sheikah. As he drew nearer, it didn't take Link long to realize that he had not, in fact, met this particular young man before. He was sure he would have remembered such a face. He was... beautiful. Link actually found himself quite struck by the graceful curve of his cheekbones, the delicate, yet sharp edge of his jaw, the way his hair framed his face, the fullness of his lips...

_Goddesses. Get ahold of yourself, Link._

Gathering his wits - and his courage - Link smiled warmly once he was close enough, and spoke up. "Hey, welcome to the neighbourhood! Do you need a hand?"

The man looked up from the bag he was about to lift from the wagon, and Link's stomach nearly fell to his knees when the man's stunning ruby eyes met his own. It finished its journey right down to his feet when the man returned his smile.

_Oh, crap._

His silver-blond hair was drawn back into a single braid, rather than piled on top of his head in the modern Sheikah style, and reached nearly to his waist. Shorter, soft, wispy strands framed his face. He was about an inch or two shorter than Link, which was certainly impressive considering nearly _everyone_ was taller than Link. He was small, but as the sleeves of his robes reached only to his elbows, Link could see that his forearms were smoothly muscled, and definitely not scrawny.

Lithe. Strong. 

"Oh, I'm fine, thanks. Most of it's inside, already. I just have a couple left."

Slightly disappointed, but not allowing himself to show it, Link nodded. "Alright." He chewed his lower lip for a moment, while the other continued to look at him. _Hylia above_ he was so bad at meeting new people. "Um... I live in the old house over there, just over the little bridge," Link gestured in the general direction of his house, "if you need anything at all, just ask." He shuffled his feet. "My name is Link, by the way," he added quickly.

The other's eyes grew wide for a moment. "Oh... _Oh!_ Y-you're the Hero!" he stammered. "I-I knew you were living in Hateno, but I didn't expect you to be the first person I met... I-it's an honour..." Was it Link's imagination, or was there a faint blush colouring the other man's cheeks?

"Oh, uh, yeah I guess I am. Heh. But please! Just call me Link. I promise I'm just a normal guy. My shit stinks just like everyone else's."

Link blinked, realizing what he'd just said.

"... Um... I've clearly been spending far too much time around construction workers... That was... Oh goddesses..." He rubbed the back of his neck and chuckled nervously, trying to diffuse the awkwardness. Or make it worse, he wasn't sure.

_Smooth, Link, real fucking smooth. Swallow the other foot, while you're at it._

The other man had lowered his face and covered his mouth, his shoulders shaking with laughter. "Wow. If your intention was to topple your hero pedestal," he said between chuckles, looking up at him again, "consider it absolutely obliterated."

Somewhat relieved, Link couldn't help but laugh as well. And then his mouth opened of its own accord once again: "Heh... well, I like the view better down here anyway," Link said, looking straight into those ruby eyes.

_Oh BY THE THREE what am I doing?!_

The young Sheikah definitely blushed this time, a small smile tugging at his lips. But then his eyes widened again.

"Oh, goddesses where are my manners! My name is Sheik," he exclaimed, extending his hand.

"Sheik," Link repeated, taking the offered hand. Sheik's grip was firm, and warm. "Sheik... of the... Sheikah..." He found himself smiling, bemused.

Sheik chuckled and rolled his eyes. "Yep, Sheik of the Sheikah." Sensing that he wasn't going to elaborate, Link decided to let it be.

They were still clasping hands. 

"Um..." Sheik broke the silence, but didn't pull his hand back. "I should finish up. Get some of this stuff unpacked before dark..."

"Of course," Link said, not pulling his hand back, either, "don't let me keep you. Remember, if you need anything at all..."

"The old house over the little bridge," Sheik confirmed with a smile. Link's knees felt weak again. Good goddesses, he was pretty.

"Right," Link grinned right back. "It was nice to meet you, Sheik."

"You too, Link."

Their hands finally separated.

* * *

_Was... was the Hero of Hyrule just_ flirting _with me?_ Sheik couldn't help but wonder as he carried his remaining bags into the small house. He didn't exactly have much experience with flirting. He'd always been shy and socially awkward, and growing up in a tiny village that was mostly filled with relatives in some way or another didn't offer him much opportunity to practice. His... preferences... narrowed the pool even further, if not dried it up completely.

_Ugh... he probably just says that stuff to all the pretty guys..._

_Wait..._

Sheik certainly knew well enough from his own extremely limited experience that men flirting with other men was definitely _not_ the social norm. So either Link had been genuine - or he was a colossal creep. Sheik doubted that it was the latter... Queen Zelda and the other Sheikah all seemed to hold the Hero in very high regard, and he didn't think that would be the case if the man was some lecherous pervert. He actually chuckled at the thought. Nah... Link was a little uncouth, perhaps, but not a creep. 

He was certainly good-looking. Sheik had nearly gotten lost in those sapphire blue eyes. He'd almost immediately regretted turning down his offer of help as soon as he'd uttered the words.

_Bah_. Sheik shook his head. _I'm reading way too much into this. Overthinking, as usual_. He was tired, had been travelling all day, and just wanted to set up his bed and have something to eat. Maybe read a bit before falling asleep. Tomorrow, it was straight to the lab to begin work with Purah and Symin.

The small house he was renting for his stay was already furnished with some basic pieces - a small dining table and chair, a comfortable lounge chair near the fireplace, a writing desk, an empty bookshelf, a dresser, and thankfully, a bed. Impressively, the small washroom actually featured running water, as did the kitchen. The perks of new construction.

But first things first. Sheik unpacked his sheets and blankets, and promptly made up the bed. With that accomplished, he wouldn't have to worry about being too tired to do it later.

There would be plenty of time for overthinking while he unpacked the rest of his belongings.

* * *

Link's stomach wouldn't stop doing flip flops. He had returned to his house, washed up, and was thinking about what to prepare himself for dinner. He found himself aimlessly pacing around his small kitchen, however, rather than actually doing anything to prepare said meal.

It was ridiculous, really. It was just a _boy_. Well, young man, really, probably very close to Link's own age of eighteen. Link knew _plenty_ of young men. _Worked_ with plenty of young men. Interacted with other young men, in some capacity, nearly every day. 

So _what_ , exactly, was so special about the young Sheikah he had just met? Yes, he was exceptionally good looking, but it had to be more than just that.

He'd known for a long time that he preferred guys. Even from his scattered memories of before the Calamity, in his earlier teens, he could recall surreptitiously watching other young men sparring in the training yards - shirtless, muscles glistening in the sunlight. The little flutters he'd feel in his stomach if he made eye contact with a handsome boy. He even recalled a brief fling he'd had with a boy about his age that had worked in the castle library. His name had been Shad. They'd shared a few stolen moments here and there, kissing in hidden alcoves, touching over clothes, but nothing more. Once Link had drawn the Master Sword and been named Zelda's Appointed Knight, he'd no longer had time for such personal matters.

It was just another piece of his life that he'd had to sacrifice.

He knew, with a pang of sorrow, that Shad had almost certainly died when the Calamity had struck, along with everyone else he'd known from the castle, including his own family. The thought was always enough to send him spiralling into despair, and he never dwelled on it for long.

Even after he'd awoken in the Shrine of Resurrection, before he'd recalled any of his memories, there had been clues. Link couldn't help the veritable storm of reactions that had erupted in his stomach (and other places) upon meeting the Zora prince. From head to toe, Sidon was simply one big piece of walking, talking eye-candy. Every time Link had come face to face with those magnificent abs... _goddesses_. He'd honestly had an extremely difficult time maintaining his composure nearly every time they'd met. To say that Link had been confused upon learning of Princess Mipha's feelings for him in the past would have been an understatement - he hadn't known, in that moment, that the feelings hadn't been reciprocated. Link had scratched his head for weeks over that one.

And now, here he was, finding his stomach in nervous knots after having spent only a few minutes with Sheik. The small, lithe Sheikah was no Prince Sidon, but that crush had been purely carnal, anyway. Fuel for lonely, late-night, tension-relieving fantasies...

_Ahem_.

No... Something about Sheik was different. Link genuinely just wanted to get to know him better.

Ugh. _Food, Link_. He shook himself out of his ruminations and headed over to the icebox. He would need to go hunting, soon. He could always buy meat and fish in the markets, but he preferred to gather his own. The months he had spent in the wild during his quest had spoiled him, in a way. He had been a glutton for a good meal his entire life (what he remembered of it), but foraging for all of his own food had given him a definite appreciation for knowing where, exactly, his food was coming from. And the _freshness_ , of course, was unparalleled.

He suddenly wondered what Sheik would be eating for dinner, tonight. Probably whatever he had brought with him on his journey today, which likely meant... road food. Tough, chewy dried or salted meats, maybe some hard bread? Link frowned in distaste. That was just a shame.

_Should I... invite him over? No, it's too soon... too_ weird _... Or would I simply be acting like a good neighbour? Neighbours do that, right?_

Before he could think about it further, Link had hauled his boots back on and run out the door.

* * *

It was just beginning to get dark. After making his bed, Sheik had unpacked his clothes and a good portion of his books, and his rumbling stomach now had him thinking about dinner. Or, some excuse for dinner, anyway. He would have to do some shopping at his first opportunity.

He had just opened up the sack containing his meager rations when he heard a knock at his door. Puzzled, he cautiously stepped up to the small window in the door and peered out.

It was Link. He was shifting his weight and chewing his bottom lip. He looked nervous. Or excited. Or... both? Unable to keep himself from smiling, Sheik opened the door.

Link's face lit up when he saw him. 

"Wouldyouliketojoinmefordinner?"

Link's question caught Sheik off guard. Whatever he had been expecting, it wasn't that.

"Wh-what?"

_Gods_. He gave himself a mental facepalm. _Real intelligent, Sheik_.

"I-I mean," Link rubbed the back of his neck, "I-I assume you don't have much in the way of fresh food right now, so I thought, m-maybe, I could be a good neighbor and share?" He flashed what probably should have been a dazzling smile, had it not screamed ' _please don't think I'm a raving lunatic?_ ' instead.

Sheik thought of the tough strips of salted meat and dehydrated fruit in his bag, and his stomach turned a little. The offer was certainly not unwelcome. Besides, the adorable image that was a flustered Hero of Hyrule standing in front of him was too much to pass up.

Trying to appear casual, Sheik crossed his arms and leaned against the doorframe. "Well, I was just about to dine on the finest dried apples and salted elk this side of Dueling Peaks but, I have to say, your offer does sound better," Sheik returned the attempt at a dazzling smile. From the way Link's cheeks flushed, he hoped that meant he had succeeded.

* * *

Link had learned early on in his quest to save Hyrule that he not only enjoyed foraging for his own food, but he loved cooking it as well. One of the small pleasures he'd enjoyed during that intensely stressful, achingly lonely time was learning new recipes, experimenting with different ingredients, and, of course, getting to enjoy the (sometimes literal) fruits of his labor. He'd always loved food, after all.

Sure, there'd been a few dubious mishaps along the way, but it was all part of the process.

Cooking for someone else, now that was not something he'd done often. But Link embraced the challenge set before him, and vowed to impress the beautiful Sheikah who had so graciously accepted his spontaneous offer of dinner - despite the nervous flutters in his stomach warning him not to fuck it up.

Not wanting his hungry guest to have to wait too long, he decided to prepare a simple - yet still relatively impressive - meat curry. He grabbed the last of his Goron Spice from the cupboard, making a mental note to keep an eye out for more at the market, and carefully placed all of the ingredients together in the pot. After positioning it over the fire, Link poured them each a cup of tea and joined Sheik on the small sofa. Link always found it awkward starting conversations with people he didn't know, but to his pleasant surprise, talking with Sheik felt perfectly natural. 

It turned out that Sheik had come to Hateno to apprentice under Purah, to learn all he could about Sheikah tech. His area of expertise was more of animals and plants, but he had shown an aptitude for understanding the more complicated aspects of the technology, and appreciated Purah and Robbie's belief that the knowledge should be passed on - both to possibly further the applications of such tech, and to prevent its misuse.

"How is it that I never met you in Kakariko?" Link wondered, having fallen into the assumption that he'd met all of the residents of the small village.

Sheik snorted. "There's a very good chance I was either lost in the library with my nose buried in a book, or out in the field doing research whenever you were in the village. Paya - she's my cousin - spoke of you often. I always seemed to miss your visits."

Link smiled at the memory of the nervous Sheikah woman. "If Paya is your cousin, does that make Impa your grandmother, too?"

"She sure is. A scary one, at that," he chuckled into his teacup. Link smiled. The elderly matriarch, as diminutive as she was, was certainly still capable of commanding a fearsome presence. Link had a very hard time imagining her bustling about in a kitchen, baking cookies and cooing over the children like most grandmothers would. Not that Link could remember his own grandmothers, if he'd even had any... 

Hearing Sheik's stomach growl (much to the other's embarrassment) roused Link from his brief thought detour, and he rose to check on dinner. Deeming it ready, he dished out two servings and placed them on the table, along with some bread. "Dig in," he instructed his guest, and sat down to his own.

With barely concealed excitement, Sheik eagerly took his place at the table and tasted the dish. His eyes widened for a moment, before looking up at Link. "This... this is really good."

Pleased, and blushing, Link shrugged. "It's no salted elk, but it'll do."

Sheik laughed heartily, before they both proceeded to devour their meals. 

They spent the next hour talking about everything and nothing, falling into conversation as easily as if they'd known each other forever, laughing at each other's lame jokes, even occasionally finishing each other's sentences. It was quite ridiculous, really, how natural it felt. Being an introvert at heart, Link couldn't recall ever simply enjoying another person's presence so much. 

"Alright, Sheik of the Sheikah," Link said after a moment of amiable silence, "your name. It's eating at me. I have to know. Unless it's too personal, of course," he quickly added.

Sheik chuckled and rolled his eyes. " _Fine_. My parents were history buffs, and particularly loved the stories of the past Heroes. The legend goes that the Hero of Time had a Sheikah guide who helped him on his quest - a young man by the name of Sheik. He gave the Hero clues to help him along the way, taught him the magical songs he needed, was quite possibly a friend to him. However, it turned out in the end that Sheik never actually existed, that he was just the princess in disguise the entire time. But my mother loved the story, and I ended up with the name." He shrugged.

Link frowned. "Hmph. I wonder if the Hero was disappointed." Sheik barely stifled a snort.

Link didn't fail to notice that Sheik had referred to his parents in the past tense, but didn't feel comfortable pressing such a sensitive topic yet.

"It's late," Sheik noted, sounding regretful, "I should get back. I have to be at the lab pretty early."

"I have to work tomorrow, too," Link sighed. He honestly didn't want his new friend to leave. He had enjoyed their evening together immensely.

"Thank you very much for dinner, and the company." Sheik rose, and Link stood as well.

"You're very welcome. Thanks for actually taking me up on the offer and not thinking I was some weird-ass creep," Link laughed.

"I never said I didn't think that. I was just really hungry, and I can defend myself rather well," Sheik said with a smirk, narrowing his eyes and mimicking a traditional Sheikah fighting stance, and they both laughed again.

They moved towards the door together and Link opened it, letting in the cool, night air. The sun having set hours ago, it was now completely dark outside.

"Let me lend you a lantern," Link said, beginning to head for his storage closet. 

Sheik reached out and grasped his forearm, causing him to turn back. "No need. Sheikah. We can see in dark," he said, gesturing towards his eyes with his free hand.

"Right," Link said. Sheik's hand was still on his arm. Sheik seemed to hesitate, and then Link felt his grip loosen. On impulse, not wanting to lose the contact, Link reached up and put his own hand over Sheik's. They looked into each other's eyes, and a million unsaid things seemed to pass between them. Sheik's eyes flicked to Link's mouth - so quickly that Link couldn't even be sure that the other hadn't simply blinked. But his stomach fluttered anyway, and he swallowed.

_All the goddesses in heaven above, I'm not just imagining all of this, am I?_

He wanted nothing more than to lean forward and kiss the beautiful young man in front of him, but _that_ would be far too much, wouldn't it? They'd _just_ met. Mere hours ago. Link may not have had _much_ experience in this department, but even he knew that it was far too soon to be-

Sheik suddenly leaned up and kissed Link's cheek. "Thank you again," he practically whispered, briefly meeting his eyes. "Good night, Link."

He turned and disappeared into the night.

Link stood in shock. He slowly blinked and raised his hand to the cheek that Sheik had just kissed. He leaned against the door frame, not trusting his legs to keep him upright.

"Good night, Sheik..." he whispered into the darkness, and grinned.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you soooo much to everyone who read and commented and left Kudos! You all made this newly published fanfic writer very happy!!! I'd love to hear more of your thoughts! Comments are my lifeblood!

_I kissed him. Good goddesses I kissed the Hero._

It wasn't the first time this thought had run through his mind. The moment had been on a near constant replay since the previous night, when it had actually happened. Sheik wasn't entirely sure from where he had drawn the courage to do such a thing but, as embarrassed as he was, he couldn't exactly regret it. He had thrown a surreptitious glance over his shoulder during his quick retreat, and caught sight of Link smiling. That meant he hadn't hated it, right?

Letting out a long breath, Sheik stepped up to the front door of the Hateno Ancient Tech Lab. No one answered his polite knock at first so, finding the door unlocked, he let himself in. He'd barely drawn enough breath to call out a greeting before he was being aurally assaulted.

" _Sheeeeiky!!!_ " The shrill sound caused him to flinch, and then a roughly waist-height, mostly white blur was hurtling towards him. Tiny arms threw themselves around his waist, and he was nearly knocked off of his feet.

"Aunt Purah," he smiled, and returned the hug after regaining his balance. He chuckled inwardly at the complete lack of formality in the greeting. He had been warned, after all. "It's been far too long. Looks like time has been good to you," he teased.

"Oh _you_..." She drew back and playfully smacked him on the arm (it actually hurt, dammit!) "I'm sooooo glad you're here. That Symin has been getting on my nerves for _years_. Can't take any kind of joke at all, and _never_ wants to play. It'll be good to have some young blood around here!"

A loud grumble - presumably from Symin - drifted out from the other room.

"Uh... right..." Sheik chuckled nervously, wondering just how far his great-aunt's maturity had degraded along with her physical age. Would he be expected to dress up and play tea party with her and a squad of stuffed animals? That was definitely not supposed to be part of this arrangement... 

"Let me show you around", she exclaimed, snatching his hand and pulling him deeper into the building. "So, how's my sister doing? How's everyone else? Did you have a good trip? How are you settling in? I hear those Bolson houses are _really_ cute. Do you miss home, yet?"

Sheik fielded the barrage of questions as best he could as Purah lead him on a tour of the laboratory. As for settling in...

"I think I made a friend, already. I met Link last night."

"Ooooooh!" Purah practically squealed, her already huge eyes threatening to bulge right out of her head. "You met _Linky_?! Isn't he an absolute _doll_? I haven't seen him for a while though." She pouted. "The next time you see him, invite up here for tea!"

"I... can do that," he smiled, honestly just appreciating any excuse to spend more time with the handsome Hylian.

"Alright!" Purah suddenly clapped her hands as they reentered the main room. "Where's that Slate?"

"Oh, yes of course." Sheik withdrew the Sheikah Slate from his bag. It was, of course, one of the main reasons he was here to begin with, to learn all he could about this technology, and the Slate was the virtual command center of the entire network.

Sheik handed the Slate over to Purah, and she took it with both hands, holding it almost reverently.

"I'm so glad Zelly let you take this from her. I could barely get it out of her hands a hundred years ago, and I honestly thought it would be the same, now." She shook her head in awe. However, her amazed attitude did not last long, and she quickly reverted to her previous bubbly demeanor. 

"First things first!" she suddenly exclaimed, opening up what Sheik already knew to be the camera rune. She grabbed Sheik's hand and pulled him over to the table in the middle of the room, before jumping up onto a chair.

"Selfieeee!" She wrapped an arm around Sheik's neck and smushed their cheeks together, holding the Slate at arm's length in front of them and slightly above their heads. "SNAPPITY-SNAP!"

Sheik seriously started to wonder if this whole thing might have been a bad idea.

* * *

Link did not see Sheik again for three days. He had honestly struggled to come up with any logical, non-creepy excuse to simply knock on the young man's door out of the blue. He cursed his lack of social finesse often, but it seemed particularly exasperating, now. Why couldn't he just talk to other people like a normal person? 

As it was, their next meeting happened completely by accident. Roused from sleep in the very early morning by a particularly awful nightmare, Link had decided to get up and go for a run, as he often did when he knew he wouldn't be falling asleep again. He enjoyed running - he found it to be a particularly meditative exercise, but it also helped him keep up his stamina. In the absence of constant knight training, running around saving princesses, or heck, even a reliable sparring partner, Link relied on his construction work to keep up his physical fitness, but he knew that, alone, it didn't do much for his cardiovascular endurance.

So he ran.

As he usually did, he headed down to the main village first, wanting to utilize the main road before too many residents were up and going about their work. He ran the length of the village, west to east, all the way out to the Hateno Pasture, before doubling back and taking a higher trail through the forest. 

He had just come upon the Myahm Agana Shrine, when he paused for a breather. Sitting on the platform, he looked out over the peaceful village, which was just beginning to come to life, and suddenly noticed a flash of white through the trees to his left. Turning his head fully in that direction, Link could see what appeared to be a person - a very recognizable person.

Link smiled. 

He stood and moved closer, watching Sheik as he danced about through the trees in a very complex and exquisite series of martial arts katas, moving with an almost inhuman grace. Link knew enough about Sheikah culture to recognize the discipline immediately, but was still awed. Sheik moved through his actions flawlessly, never once pausing or missing a step, completely unhindered by the uneven terrain. He occasionally lifted from the ground in elegant leaps, twisting and turning in midair only to land nimbly on his feet and continuing straight into the next set of moves. 

Link could hear each of Sheik's breaths - they were perfectly timed with his movements, and he punctuated each of his throwing moves with a sharp " _ha!_ " For some reason the sound of Sheik's breath only added to the allure of the scene in front of him. Link found himself completely transfixed.

It was beautiful. _He_ was beautiful.

Eventually, Sheik vanished behind a cluster of close standing trees. Link waited earnestly for him to come back into view but, after several moments had passed with no sign of the Sheikah, he found himself feeling immensely disappointed. He wondered whether Sheik had simply finished his exercise and left the forest unnoticed. 

With a small pang of alarm, it occurred to Link that perhaps he could have fallen and injured himself, and Link was just about to dash over to the copse of trees to check when a pair of hands suddenly dropped in front of his face and clamped over his mouth. Before Link could even react, he was smoothly pulled backwards - the force not enough to wrench his neck, but certainly enough to throw him off balance. As he instinctively tried to step back to catch himself, he tripped over a leg that was not his own and found himself pressed against a warm, solid body.

"Don't you know it's nearly impossible to sneak up on a Sheikah, Hero?"

The voice that tickled his ear carried no hint of malintent but, rather, seemed to be laced with amusement. The hands released his mouth, and strong, lithe arms helped to support Link as he regained his balance. He immediately spun around and came face to face with a giggling Sheik.

Giggling. The fucker was _giggling_. Link simultaneously wanted to melt at his sheer adorableness, and rip his fool head off. 

He settled for neither. Instead, he spluttered for a moment like a fish out of water. Somehow, he finally got his mouth to work. "Din's _tits_ , Sheik, you scared the shit out of me! I... I could have cut you in half!" 

Sheik's smile only grew wider. "You don't have any weapons on you. I already checked." 

"You... already... you... _how?_ " Apparently he wasn't done with the spluttering.

"I can't give away all my secrets," Sheik said, looking mock scandalized. At Link's incredulous stare, Sheik's expression softened and turned apologetic. "Ah, I'm sorry, Link. I just saw you there and I... couldn't resist. The Hero of Hyrule just... ripe for the picking." He giggled again. 

"Oh no, no..." Link said, stepping forward, "don't apologize, you got me fair and square..." He extended his hand in an offer of peace, and when Sheik reached out to take it, Link threw both arms up and quickly grappled the Sheikah into a front headlock. 

A muffled exclamation erupted from under Link's chest. "What the hell!"

"How do ya like me now, huh?" Link crowed, but he barely had any time to enjoy his victory before Sheik twisted beneath him, moved forward and up, and cleanly flipped Link over his back. 

The world spun, and Link found himself lying flat on his back with the wind knocked out of him. "Ow," Link whined after a moment, as he stared dazedly up at the sky. His view was blocked when an upside down Sheik stepped into his line of sight. His arms were crossed, his brow was furrowed, and his mouth was set in a thin line. Link gulped. 

"That was a dirty trick," Sheik said. His voice was as stern as his posture, but his eyes belied his amusement.

"... Sorry?"

Sheik stared for another long moment, before the façade finally cracked and he burst out laughing. He reached down to help Link up, but before Link could grasp his hand, Sheik abruptly pulled it back and raised his eyebrows. "Truce?" 

Link smiled. "Truce." 

After Link had been helped up, they both sat on a nearby log - Link so that he could take another few moments to recover. It had admittedly been a long time since he'd been tossed around like that, and his back was not pleased. 

"You're really good at that," Link remarked, glancing at his friend. 

"I've been practicing since I was two years old," Sheik replied. "All Sheikah are trained warriors. No matter what profession we choose to enter down the road, we all start out the same way, and are expected to maintain the skill throughout our lives." 

"That's incredible," Link said, and suddenly imagined little Impa spinning and flipping around like Sheik had been. The image made him smile. Then a tiny, flying Purah entered his mind, and he couldn't help but laugh out loud.

"What is it?" 

"Oh nothing..." he laughed again, "just picturing Impa and Purah..." 

Sheik snickered. "Funny image, huh? I'll tell you now, though, you wouldn't want to be on the wrong end of either of their flying drop kicks." 

"I hope I never have to put that to the test," Link chuckled. He shook his head. "I've never been very strong with hand to hand combat. I'm definitely more comfortable with a weapon." 

"I could teach you some, if you like," Sheik shrugged.

"I'd like that," Link looked into Sheik's eyes and smiled. Sheik returned the smile, and Link's heart did a little flutter. "You... you were truly beautiful to watch." 

Sheik blushed immediately, and Link couldn't help but smile a little wider. "Thanks." 

They sat in awkward silence for a moment, and Link was suddenly very aware of how close they were. He could smell Sheik's scent - something deliciously woodsy and spicy, mingled with the natural scents of the forest. It was intoxicating, and he had to resist the urge to lean even closer so that he could inhale more of it. Sheik's hand was resting on the log between them, and Link suddenly found himself dropping his own hand down to rest next to it. He tried to disguise the move with a bit of a stretch, almost cringing inwardly at his use of such a cliché. To his delight, however, Sheik's fingers splayed out slightly, so that their pinky fingers were now just barely touching. Link's heart rate picked up slightly. 

"How's your back?" Sheik asked, breaking the silence. 

Link chuckled. "I'll survive. Trust me, I've had far worse." It wasn't a lie. 

"I'm sorry," Sheik said, looking slightly pained. His hand twitched, and then he gently placed it over top of Link's. Link's heart soared.

"Eh, being a hero's a rough job, but at least I'm retired now." Before he could stop himself, he flipped his hand over underneath Sheik's, and laced their fingers together. He could have sworn he heard Sheik's breath hitch slightly. Gathering his nerve, he brought his eyes up to meet Sheik's ruby orbs. They were so _intensely_ red, much brighter than any other Sheikah's that he had met. According to historical records, red eyes used to be a common Sheikah trait, but nowadays most Sheikah's eyes were brown in colour, the closest to red being perhaps a rich sienna. Sheik's ruby eyes were truly a rarity. 

Despite how nervous he looked, Sheik maintained the eye contact. A faint blush coloured his cheeks, and Link could see his chest rising and falling with short, nervous breaths. _Gods_ , Link wanted to kiss him so badly.

To hell with it.

Butterflies threatened to turn Link's stomach inside out, but if he'd learned anything in the last couple of years, it's that he wasn't the Hero of Hyrule for nothing. Summoning all of that courage he was so famous for, he took a deep breath, licked his lips, shifted his weight, and-

"Oh, good morning, fellas! Didn't realize this spot was already occupied!" 

The bright voice rang out across the clearing like an alarm bell, and Link turned his head around so quickly he nearly gave himself whiplash. In the same moment, he and Sheik released their hands, each snatching theirs back as though they'd been burned.

Bolson strode into the clearing, a bright, friendly grin on his face. Bolson, as in, Link's boss. Bolson, as in, the man who most certainly had the absolute worst timing in all of Hyrule. 

"Bolson! G-good morning. We were just... just..." Link mentally slapped himself. He wasn't sure why he was acting as though he'd just been caught doing something salacious. Given Bolson's own... preferences... Link should have known he'd had nothing to be embarrassed about in front of _him_. Nevertheless, it _had_ been an extremely personal moment. 

Link chanced a glance at Sheik, and found that his face was about as red as the accents in his outfit.

Sheik suddenly stood. "I-I was just leaving, actually. I really need to get up to the lab." He turned to Link. Underneath the embarrassment, Link thought he could see - regret? - in his expression. "It was nice to see you, Link." He smiled, before turning to Bolson. He gave the man a shy, polite nod before quickly striding to the edge of the clearing. He stopped suddenly and turned back to Link. "Oh Link, Purah would like you to come up for tea." He smiled again, before fleeing from sight. 

Link stared after him wistfully and sighed in disappointment. So close... he'd been _so close_...

Suddenly remembering that Bolson was still standing there, Link slowly turned his eyes back to him. Bolson was looking at him with a knowing little smirk on his face, and Link nervously rubbed the back of his neck. 

"Um..." 

"Don't you worry about it one little bit, darling," Bolson cut in, flourishing a hand, "your secret is safe with me!" 

"S-secret?"

" _Pleeease_ ," Bolson fixed him with a look that screamed 'what do you take me for?' before striding over to Link and offering him a hand up. Link took it. 

"I'm terribly sorry I interrupted you, Link. Really, I am. He's a _cutie_ ," Bolson teased, cocking an eyebrow. He leaned in a little closer and dropped his voice to a conspiratorial whisper, "although, if I'd have known you swung that way, I could have set you up with someone _ages_ ago!" 

Link closed his eyes and exhaled. He was pretty sure his blush could have been seen from Death Mountain.

* * *

That afternoon found Sheik sitting with Purah in the main room of the Tech Lab, while she painstakingly went over the finer details of how runes were designed and installed onto the Slate. It was fascinating, it truly was, in an absolutely mind-boggling sort of way. The combination of magic and technology working together in such a manner was nothing short of awe-inspiring. Sheik knew he'd shown promise in understanding the complexities - it was the reason he was here - but he wondered if he could ever fully hope to grasp it all.

"Of course," Purah continued, almost sensing his doubt, "I'm still learning much of this myself. No one's properly understood this in thousands of years, after all. I've been working on designing a simple rune of my own to upload. I just need to make sure it doesn't somehow crash the whole system."

"It's too bad we don't have a second Slate to test things out on..." Sheik mused. 

"Yes..." Purah thoughtfully tapped her pencil against her lips, "before the Calamity, we were so focused on simply learning how to operate the Guardians and the Divine Beasts that I didn't get a chance to even try replicating the Slate. It would be a worthwhile project, indeed!" She looked up at him with bright, excited eyes. 

There was a knock at the door, and Purah's expression changed to one of puzzlement. 

"Eh? Who could that be? No one ever comes up here..." 

Remembering that he'd extended Purah's invitation of tea to Link that morning, Sheik wondered if it was him, and a flurry of butterflies immediately erupted in his stomach. His mind instantly flew to the moment that Link had almost kissed him - something he had _definitely_ been okay with, by the way, despite his nerves - and he couldn't help but smile a little. 

"Linky!" Purah launched herself out of her chair and ran over to meet her guest, who had just let himself in. 

"Purah, long time no see," Link grinned as the tiny Sheikah threw her arms around his waist. 

"And who's fault is that, huh?!" She drew back and gave him a solid whack on the arm, causing him to noticeably flinch. Sheik pressed his lips together, trying to hide his laugh. 

"...S-sorry, Purah. Work's been keeping me pretty busy-" 

"Yeah, yeah," Purah teased, "just go sit down. I'll fetch some tea." 

As Purah scurried out of the room, Link made his way over to the table, rubbing his arm, and sat down next to Sheik. " _Ow_... How does someone so tiny pack such a punch?" 

Sheik didn't hide his laugh this time. "I told you, you gotta watch out for those tiny Sheikah women." 

Link snorted. "Not just the tiny women. My back still hurts, I'll have you know." 

Sheik stuck his nose in the air in mock indignation. "That was your own fault. And there's plenty more where that came from." 

"I'd better stay on my toes, then," Link gave Sheik a crooked smile, eyes twinkling, and Sheik's heart skipped a beat. All these sensations were almost getting a little annoying. Ugh, he felt like some love-struck young maiden. Yet, he couldn't seem to stop smiling. 

He was trying to think of something witty to say back when he noticed that Link had tensed, and was staring at the table with an unreadable expression. Puzzled, Sheik followed his gaze to find the Slate, which was sitting where Purah had left it. 

"Link? Are you alright?" Sheik asked. 

"Huh?" Link's eyes snapped back to Sheik. "Oh, uh, yeah. It's just... the Sheikah Slate... I haven't seen it since I left Zelda in Kakariko. It... caught me by surprise." 

Hesitating for just a moment, Link reached out and picked up the Slate, and ran his fingers over the screen. It let out a soft chime and lit up in response to his touch immediately. Link drew in a quick breath and shivered slightly, his eyes almost looking haunted. 

"Having it here, in my hands again... brings back memories." He turned back to Sheik and gave him that lopsided smile again, only this time it looked far more sad than cheeky. Sheik decided immediately that he didn't like Link looking sad. 

Sheik reached out and put his hand on Link's arm. "I'm sorry, Link, I'll put it away for now-" 

"Ah, no it's okay." Link gave his head a shake, as if to clear it, and gave Sheik a proper smile. "The whole journey itself was stressful, but this thing was actually pretty great. The inventory capability alone... Heh, and the bombs could definitely be fun." He grinned, and proceeded to swipe through the screens with a practiced ease, looking almost excited, now. He suddenly frowned. "Hey, where's-" 

Purah suddenly reappeared in the room, carrying a tray with their tea and some biscuits. 

"Did ya miss me?" she exclaimed, setting down the tray. 

"Hey Purah, what happened to my Master Cycle Zero?" Link asked her, frown still firmly in place. 

"Pffft, that useless bucket of bolts? I got rid of it." 

The face Link made was priceless. His eyes grew as wide as saucers and his mouth fell open in complete shock. He looked positively scandalized. "Please tell me you can put it back!" 

"I could, but what for? That thing is a death trap. Zelda told me all about the crazy crap you pulled on that thing. You're lucky to be alive, mister!" 

"That's... not the point," Link proceeded to put on the most convincing display of puppy-dog eyes Sheik had ever seen. "Do you have _any_ idea what I even went through to get that thing? And besides, it's... it's _fun_!" 

"Um, sorry, what's a 'Master Cycle Zero'?" Sheik interjected. 

Link turned to Sheik with thinly veiled excitement shining in his sapphire eyes, grinning from ear to ear. "Only the most incredible, exhilarating, and soul-freeing mode of transportation ever created!" 

Sheik narrowed his eyes in suspicion. "And why did my aunt call it a 'death trap'?" 

Link's cheeks flushed slightly. "Well, it _can_ be dangerous, you know, if you're being... _careless_." He cleared his throat and aimed a dark look at Purah. "But it's really no worse than recklessly riding a horse at top speed. And I'd gotten a lot better at it towards the end, you know!" 

"Ugh. _Boys_." Purah shook her head. "Fine, I'll put it back. But it's your funeral."

Link grinned. "Thanks, Purah, you're the best!" 

"Tell me something I don't know," she stated, striking a pose.

"Hey Purah..." Link said, after graciously offering to pour the tea, "I was planning a hunting trip at the end of this week. I... don't suppose you'd let me borrow the Slate? It would only be for a couple of days. I really do miss that inventory feature sometimes," he chuckled. 

Purah pursed her lips in thought. "Hmm. I don't see why not, as long as you aren't gone for too long." She suddenly gasped. "Why don't you take Sheiky with you? Sheik! This would be a great opportunity to fill in some of the missing items from the Compendium." She shot Link a scowl. " _Someone_ was a little too busy during his mission to do a very good job with that." 

"Hey..." Link protested, "snapping photos wasn't exactly high on my list of priorities, you know." He abruptly turned to Sheik with his eyes looking - hopeful? "B-but of course, you're more than welcome to join me." 

Two days? And a night? _Alone_? With _Link_? 

Sheik smiled, heart pounding. "Sure. I'd love to." 

Link smiled right back. "Great! It's a date."

... Date? 


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Early update (not that I expect to actually have a fixed update schedule) because this chapter gave me soooo much trouble and I was super excited once it was finished and I was happy with it. 8D

On the morning that he was to depart for his hunting trip, Link awoke with a smile already on his face, and it had nothing to do with the fact that he'd not had any nightmares the previous night - although that was definitely a bonus. He hopped out of bed with a veritable spring in his step. 

Humming happily to himself like a proper loon, he washed, dressed, ate some breakfast, and gathered up all of the weapons and supplies he had readied the night before. He stepped out into the fresh, early autumn air, secured the door behind him, and set off for Sheik's house. 

He... couldn't fully explain his giddy mood. He'd always rather enjoyed his hunting trips, but the fact that Sheik would be joining him on this one just seemed to make it extra special. Link was genuinely very much looking forward to simply spending some time with Sheik. He couldn't seem to slow the anticipatory thrumming of his heart, or fully wipe away the little smile that kept coming to his face. 

It was quite remarkable, the effect the mesmerizing young Sheikah was having on him. He was definitely head over heels in _like_ with him, that much was certain. Link shook his head as he sighed to himself.

As Number 5 came into view, Link could see that Sheik was already outside waiting for him. He was seated on the front step, his pack and a few weapons resting next to him. He smiled and rose to his feet when he noticed Link, and waved in greeting. 

"I hope you weren't waiting too long," Link said as he approached. 

"Nah, I've only been out here for a few minutes." He withdrew the Sheikah Slate from his pack and handed it to Link. 

Link couldn't disguise his excitement. Unceremoniously dumping all of his gear on the ground, he immediately opened up the inventory screen and activated it. He then proceeded to touch each of his items in turn, causing them to magically vanish into the slate. Moving over to Sheik's pile, he repeated the process, storing all of his items as well. 

"I really miss this thing, sometimes," Link smiled at Sheik, who'd been watching him in silent amusement.

Link's eyes dropped back down to the Slate, deft fingers flicking through a few more screens until his eyes landed on the next icon he was looking for.

There it was. She _did_ put it back. He grinned. 

"Shall we head down to the stables?" Sheik asked, coming to stand next to Link. 

"Nope." 

Sheik's brow twitched in confusion. "Didn't you say we'd be riding?" 

Link glanced up at the Sheikah with a mischievous grin. "I said we'd be riding, but I never said anything about horses." 

He pressed the little yellow icon on the screen, and gleefully watched as the Master Cycle Zero materialized before them in a beam of blue light. 

Sheik's mouth fell open in surprise. "Is that the..." 

"It is." 

"... and we're going to be riding that?" 

"Yup." 

"But didn't Purah say..." 

"I know what Purah said." 

Link walked up to the Cycle and ran a hand fondly over one of the handlebars. Still grinning, he looked up at Sheik. Sheik looked hesitant, but also a little - intrigued. 

Sheik stared for a few more moments, eyes roving back and forth over the mechanical contraption, before shaking his head. "Hylia help me." He stepped toward the bike, and looked at Link with a determined expression. "What do I have to do?" 

Link had almost expected an argument, and had been fully prepared to acquiesce to riding horses if necessary, so he was pleasantly surprised. "You hardly have to do a thing! Just sit behind me, don't lean to either side, and hold on tight." 

"... Alright. But don't kill me, okay? I'm only doing this out of scientific curiosity," Sheik huffed, crossing his arms. It was ridiculously cute. 

After fueling up the bike, Link stepped up to side and swung his leg over the seat, practically giddy with excitement. Sheik hesitated for only a moment, before climbing on behind Link. The seat wasn't very large, so he had to sit... close. 

_Oh gods, his groin is right up against my a-_

"Um, so what, exactly, do I hold on to?" 

Link smirked playfully over his shoulder. "Me." 

"Hylia help me," Sheik said for the second time that morning, and his arms snaked around Link's waist. Link's breath nearly caught in his throat at the sensation, and he sincerely hoped that Sheik couldn't feel how much his heart rate had sped up. Link took a deep breath, trying to calm himself. _Oh gods_ , and he could _smell_ him again, too...

Link kicked the Cycle into gear and it roared to life, the engine emitting a beautiful purr. 

"Feet up on the pegs, and hold on tight," Link warned, releasing the clutch and rolling the throttle. He didn't do it nearly as smoothly as he should have - being both a little out of practice and unused to the added weight of a passenger - and the bike lurched forward awkwardly. Sheik let out a ridiculously adorable yelp and his arms immediately tightened around Link's waist. 

"Sorry!" Link called sheepishly over his shoulder, not missing Sheik's scowl, and immediately began to adjust his speed. It didn't take too long to regain his feel for the bike, and soon they were cruising smoothly down the road towards the main village. A few of the villagers who were already out and about gave them some odd looks as they passed, but wisely stayed out of the way. Link made sure to keep a slower pace, not wanting to barrel through the village at top speed, or scare his passenger any further.

Speaking of whom... 

Sheik was clinging to him so tightly, Link could barely breathe. He lightly tapped one of his arms, and Sheik's grip immediately loosened a fraction. Grinning, Link threw a thumbs up over his shoulder. 

Once they were outside of the village proper, Link opened up the throttle a little more and began to gain speed. He couldn't stop the rush of exhilaration in his veins, even at this relatively low speed. He had definitely missed this. 

Sheik's grip began to relax somewhat as he became more comfortable and gained his own feel for the machine. Encouraged, Link picked up a little more speed, and was delighted to hear Sheik laughing in his ear. 

"What do you think?" Link shouted over the roar of wind and engine. 

"It's incredible!" Sheik shouted back. 

Pleased beyond explanation that he'd made Sheik happy, Link laughed into the wind.

They continued to ride for a couple of hours, heading west into the East Necluda region, before finally stopping for a break. They sat under a large tree and shared a snack of nut cake and simmered fruit, prepared ahead of time by Link and stored in the Slate's inventory.

"By the Three," Sheik exclaimed between mouthfuls of cake, "I really wish Queen Zelda would have told me about this inventory feature before I used the world's most _obstinate mule_ to haul all of my earthly possessions halfway across Hyrule in a bloody _cart_." 

Link barked out a laugh. "She hardly ever used the inventory feature. I'm not really surprised she didn't think of it. For all her wisdom, she's not always the most... on-the-spot thinker." 

"Heh, well at least now I know about it for when I go back." 

Link felt an unexpected stab of panic in his gut. The thought hadn't occurred to him that Sheik would obviously be returning to Kakariko someday, and he was admittedly caught slightly off guard. He casually pushed the fruit around in his bowl. "Um, when do you think that'll be, anyway?"

Sheik seemed to hesitate. "Well, there's a lot to learn, so not for several months, at least." He glanced at Link from the corner of his eye. "It might even be years, realistically." 

Link pressed his lips together, trying to hide the smile that wanted to appear, and gave a non-committal hum. 

Sheik, still looking at him, puffed out a small chuckle. Then he turned his head the other way, perhaps trying to appear casual as well. "I guess you're stuck with me for a while, yet." 

With Sheik's head turned away, Link allowed himself that smile. 

* * *

After they had finished eating, Link had spotted a herd of deer in the distance through the trees. Motioning for Sheik to be quiet, he readied his bow and quiver, and so began his hunt. 

Sheik was his constant shadow, following stealthily along behind him with the Slate, snapping pictures of animals and plants alike for the Compendium.

He was rather impressed with Link's outdoorsmanship, though he supposed that that shouldn't have been a surprise, considering he'd survived in the wild, alone, for nearly a year during his quest. Though he did find himself marvelling at Link's stealth skills. The man could be just as quiet as a Sheikah, when he was actually trying. 

Sheik was also quite moved by how reverently Link treated each of his kills. He always ensured that he only fired when he could take a clean shot, never wanting to prolong an animal's suffering. He also made sure that there were never any young nearby, doing his best not to leave behind any orphans. Link harboured a great respect for life, and found absolutely no sport in hunting. It was a means for survival, and nothing more. Sheik suspected that one of the reasons Link did his own hunting was perhaps to ensure some of these safeguards. The fire in Sheik's heart burned a little brighter as he continued to watch Link. 

He couldn't deny his feelings for the Hylian. He'd had a few crushes in his past, the difference this time was that he was fairly certain that this one actually felt the same way. If only Sheik could bring himself to say something. The thought of being that bold twisted his stomach into knots. Maybe he should just wait until Link tried to kiss him again... 

Suddenly hearing a loud crack, Sheik realized - with complete and utter mortification - that he had stepped on a dry twig and snapped it. The flock of pheasants in the nearby clearing immediately scattered to the wind, and Link lowered his bow. He looked at Sheik, brows raised, a silent question written all over his face. 

"Oh goddesses... I'm so sorry, Link. My mind... took a bit of a wander there for a sec."

"Tsk tsk. What would the other Sheikah say?" Link teased. 

"Ugh. I _know_. I should revoke my citizenship immediately," Sheik laughed. 

"Ah, don't worry about it. Pheasants are chewy, anyway, and notoriously easy to overcook. Geese are better, and I know just where we can get some. Lots of good fish, too."

Summoning the Master Cycle Zero once more, they set off again. 

* * *

They continued to head northwest, Link's ultimate destination being the Squabble River. The Fir River was closer, but it never seemed to have any good fish.

They stopped several times to forage for other items as well - acorns, mushrooms, wild carrots and radishes, herbs, and courser bee honey - which was one of Link's favourites. It was always worth the few stings he ended up with. Sheik dutifully snapped pictures of it all, and even managed to catch a rather comical shot of Link getting stung. The cheeky bastard. Seeing the amusement in the Sheikah's eyes as he regarded the photo, however, Link didn't have the heart to ask him to delete it. 

As they neared their destination, the sun began sinking lower on the horizon and the light began to fail. Sheik had become more and more comfortable riding the Master Cycle Zero as the day went on, and as a result Link had been enjoying travelling at higher speeds. 

It was both of these factors that contributed to what happened next. By the time Link had noticed the small rock in the road, directly in his path, it was already too late. The front wheel hit the rock dead on, causing the front end of the bike to swerve wildly, and suddenly they were all tumbling down an embankment - Hylian, Sheikah, and motorcycle alike. 

The cycle quickly vanished in a blast of blue light - a nice little safety feature that ensured the rider would not be crushed by the thing in the event of a catastrophic loss of control - something Link had found himself grateful for on more than one unfortunate occasion. But that did not lessen the pain of hurtling ass over tea kettle downhill through a maze of rocks, bushes, brambles, and tree trunks. Finally coming to a stop, Link lay in the dirt for moment, mentally assessing the damage - something he'd done countless times in the past. Deeming himself to be in one piece, he sat up, and abruptly remembered his passenger. 

_Sheik!_

Doing his best to ignore his various aches, Link scrambled to his feet and frantically looked around. His eyes soon landed on Sheik, who was crumpled on the ground about twenty feet away. Heart pounding in his throat, Link dashed over to him as quickly as his legs would carry him. 

" _Sheik!!!_ " He skidded to a halt next to the Sheikah and immediately dropped to his knees. Sheik was face down on the ground, his back and shoulders shaking as he coughed. Relieved to see that he was at least alive, Link carefully rolled Sheik over, and was surprised to see that he was actually _laughing_ more so than coughing. 

"... Sheik?" 

"Hah... oh gods!" Sheik sputtered through gasping laughs, "that was... Ha! That was _incredible_!" 

"... Huh?" 

"I mean, I mean it was _crazy_..." He coughed a few more times as Link helped him to sit up and, in an unexpectedly entertaining display, spat out a mouthful of leaves. "I... I can see now why my aunt calls it a death trap! Hahaha!" 

Link stared, wide-eyed, his relief being replaced by concern all over again. "Are... are you... okay? Did you... hit your head, by any chance?" 

"What? Oh, yeah. I mean no. I'm fine... Maybe a little rattled, but nothing's broken. We Sheikah are pretty good at the old tuck-n-roll, you know. Haha!" Link continued to gape as Sheik dissolved into a few more hysterical giggles, but then he abruptly stopped and slowly looked up at Link with a serious expression. The sudden change in demeanor startled Link to the point where he almost flinched back, but those intense ruby eyes pinned him to the spot. 

"Hylia _above_ , Link. You almost _killed_ me." 

Link's stomach lurched. "Oh _gods_ , Sheik! I'm... I'm _so_ sorry! I never meant... there was a _rock_... I-I didn't see it in time! I never wanted you to get hurt!"

"Sure... And here I thought you actually _liked_ me..." he pouted. _Pouted_. 

"I _do_ like you, Sheik! So much... I can't believe I put you in danger like this. You're the last person in the world I'd want to hurt-" 

Link abruptly stopped his rambling when he saw that Sheik was grinning at him, and he realized the trap he'd just walked into.

"I like you, too," Sheik said, red eyes twinkling. A faint blush was rapidly spreading across his cheeks. 

After staring for a moment or two, Link couldn't help but laugh. "Yeah?" 

"Yeah." 

"..." Link flicked Sheik on the arm with the backs of his fingers. "You asshole! You tricked me!" 

Sheik dissolved into laughter, before glancing shyly up into Link's eyes. "I'm sorry. I... really _do_ like you, though." 

"I really like you, too," Link couldn't find it in himself to be truly angry - his heart was far too busy soaring through the stratosphere. 

* * *

After tending to their various scrapes and bruises (which, all things considered, were not too bad) they had decided it was as good a place as any to set up camp, especially considering the failing light. Sheik went to gather some wood and kindling for a fire, while Link set about pitching their small tent.

Sheik smiled to himself as he worked, remembering the look on Link's face once he'd admitted his feelings. Sheik couldn't believe he'd gathered the courage to even say such a thing to another person, but that was simply the effect Link seemed to have on him. Of course, the adrenaline coursing through his system after the crash had undoubtedly helped, but it was more than that. Sheik was rapidly finding that he was simply _comfortable_ with Link, so much so that a lifetime of emotional safeguards seemed to be slowly falling away whenever he was in his presence. Having been so awkward and guarded his entire life, it was definitely more than a little unsettling, but at the same time, it was... freeing. 

Arms full, he was about to head back to the camp when something caught his eye. A massive footprint lay in the soft earth of the forest floor. Even in the failing light, his Sheikah eyesight was more than adequate to see that it had been created by no ordinary animal. Frowning, Sheik set down his bundle of wood and crouched down to get a better look. 

The print was distinctly canine, looking very much like that of a wolf, but the size made no sense. A wolf's tracks were usually no larger than four or five inches long, at _most_. 

This print was at least three times that large. 

Sheik looked ahead, but the tracks lead into the bushes and disappeared. Looking back to the print in front of him, he determined that it was at least a day old, possibly a little more. That hopefully meant that the creature that had created it was no longer in the area. 

Brow furrowed, Sheik stood, gathered up his bundle of wood once more, and headed back to the campsite. 

Link had already set up the tent, and was busy prepping some meat and mushroom skewers. He glanced up at Sheik, then did a double take when he noticed his serious expression. 

"Something wrong?" 

Sheik set down his bundle before fixing Link with a perplexed expression. "I found some strange tracks in the woods. I've been studying biology nearly my entire life, and I can't say with any certainty what these tracks belonged to. Only that they looked like they belonged to a freakishly _enormous_ wolf. Which is... absurd." 

Link had risen to his feet, immediately on guard, and was already reaching for his sword. 

"Where?" 

Sheik aimed a lopsided grin at Link before he set about building their fire. "Relax, Hero, the tracks were at least a day old. We should check them out properly tomorrow, though, in the daylight. We should probably take turns keeping watch tonight, too." 

Link hesitated before offering a non-committal grunt, and he slowly sat back down. He had that haunted look in his eyes, again. He resumed skewering the meat and mushrooms in silence, looking deep in thought. Sheik frowned, wondering at Link's sudden change and slightly regretting the teasing tone he'd just used, but decided to leave him be. 

Once Sheik had a good fire going, he sat down with his back against a nearby log, while Link quietly summoned a cooking pot from the Slate's inventory and placed it over the fire. He tossed in the skewers, and then sat down next to Sheik while they waited for them to cook. He still seemed to be lost in thought. Sheik cast a couple of concerned glances towards him but, not wanting to make him more uncomfortable, he soon gave up and gazed at the sky, instead. 

It was a pleasant night - cool but not freezing, and only a few scattered clouds decorated the indigo sky. A few of the brightest stars were just starting to pop into existence. 

"I have a lot of nightmares," Link said suddenly, breaking the silence. Sheik turned to face him. Link's eyes were downcast, looking at a point on the ground in front of the fire. "Mostly about my time spent on the quest, but sometimes about my life before the Calamity. I still can't remember most it, which is frustrating. I've tried to make peace with it all, but my unconscious mind still likes to play tricks with me." He looked at Sheik then, and gave him a half smile. On impulse, Sheik reached over and took Link's hand. Link instantly laced their fingers together, and Sheik's heart fluttered. 

"When you mentioned the tracks," Link continued, "my heart nearly stopped. My first thought flew straight to monsters, blights, mechanical nightmares. Ridiculous, huh?" 

"Of course not," Sheik said instantly, shaking his head. "After everything you went through for Hyrule, for _us_... I think you've more than earned the right to feel a little... cautious." 

"I suppose," Link smiled properly now and rubbed his thumb over the back of Sheik's hand, and Sheik had to suppress a pleasant shiver. "I know it's all over. Zelda is safe. Hyrule is safe. Ganon is gone. I guess I just find it hard to accept that I'm free to just... be _happy_. But... you're actually helping me with that." 

"M-me?" Sheik asked, surprised. 

"Yeah. I mean, I know we've only just met, but, I dunno, I feel... _peaceful_ with you. And definitely happier. I like having you around." He grinned. 

"Oh," Sheik sincerely hoped that the low light was hiding his blush. Tucking some hair behind his ear, he smiled back and chuckled nervously, "well, I'm happy to help..." 

Link's sapphire eyes continued to stare back at him, and Sheik had no trouble staring right back. For some reason, Link's eyes didn't intimidate him like other peoples' did. Link raised his free hand to cup Sheik's jaw, and his breath hitched. The next thing he knew, Link was leaning towards him, and their lips connected. Sheik was too stunned to do anything back, but nonetheless he felt a pleasant buzz of electricity shoot through his entire core, and his eyes fluttered closed. All too soon, it ended, and Link leaned back. Sheik slowly opened his eyes to find Link looking at him nervously. Sheik instantly wanted more, and his heart twisted at the thought that Link may have mistaken his lack of participation as disinterest. His body acting nearly of its own accord, Sheik placed a hand behind Link's neck and desperately pulled him back. 

Sheik had never properly kissed anyone before, but he'd seen others do it, and he was nothing if not a fast learner. He shifted his body closer, and slid his hand up into Link's hair. Link moaned quietly into the kiss and he slowly moved his fingers around to caress Sheik's neck. Sheik nearly lost himself in the myriad of sensations coursing through his body - it was unlike anything he'd ever experienced. 

Finally they separated, both needing air, and Link smiled, panting slightly.

"Goddesses, is there _anything_ you aren't good at?"

Sheik immediately blushed again and squeaked out an embarrassed laugh. "It's not what you think! I've... never actually kissed anyone before! I mean, a girl back home tried to kiss me once, but it was so awkward and everything about it felt all wrong and afterwards we both pretended it never even happened so- _mmph!_ "

Putting a swift halt to his rambling, Link had leaned in to kiss him again, chuckling happily against his lips. Sheik surrendered to him instantly, heart bursting. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Never ride a motorcycle without a helmet, folks!


	4. Chapter 4

The telltale sound of a dry sizzle along with the smell of burning food eventually drew Link back to the real world, and he abruptly pulled away from the kiss with a shouted curse. He then proceeded to simultaneously launch himself at the fire while apologizing to a very confused Sheik. 

"I guess it's safe to say I won't be impressing you with _this_ meal," he laughed a few minutes later, as they both sat down to eat their very crispy dinners. 

"I believe the appetizer might have made up for that," Sheik teased, looking at Link from underneath his eyelashes. The expression came off as incredibly sultry, and Link immediately felt a strange warmth stirring in the pit of his belly - the sensation surprising him a little in its intensity. Whether Sheik had intended for the expression to look that way or not, it was certainly effective, and not at all unpleasant.

Trying to cover up his brief fluster, Link chuckled. "How would you know? You just told me you've never kissed anyone. I could very well be the worst kisser in all of Hyrule." 

Sheik snorted in amusement. "While I'll admit that I have no basis for comparison, somehow I doubt that. It felt pretty good to me." He blushed once again - _gods, he was so cute_ \- and then cleared his throat. "What about you, then? How many fair young men and/or maids have you snogged with?" 

Link chewed his food in thought for a moment. "No maids, that I know of, and only one man - well, _boy_ \- when I was, like, 15? 16? Again, that I _know_ of," he sighed, then shook his head, "the problem with this godsdamned memory loss is that, for all I know, I could have been the absolute biggest slut in Castle Town." He chuckled, doing his best to convey that he was joking, but he still couldn't help glancing at Sheik nervously out of the corner of his eye. Deep down, he honestly couldn't imagine that of himself, but he hated not knowing things for sure. 

Sheik regarded him for a long moment, as if he were sizing him up. "Nah, I don't see it," he declared, taking a bite of meat that was at least fifteen percent charcoal, "and even if you were, I'm sure a hundred years in the Shrine of Resurrection would have cured you of the venereal diseases so, ultimately, does it really matter?" 

Link looked at him in wide-eyed shock for a moment, before they both burst out laughing.

After they'd recovered, Sheik's expression turned thoughtful. "The past is in the past, Link," he said in a serious tone, "as long as you know who you are, in here," he gently laid his free hand over the area above Link's heart, "then there's not much sense dwelling on what's gone."

* * *

Link took first watch, insisting that Sheik was his "guest" on this outing, and besides that, Sheik had yawned first, cementing the deal. Sheik had tried to argue, but Link wouldn't have it, and soon the Sheikah was bundled into his bed roll inside the tent, snoring ever so softly, leaving Link alone with his thoughts.

And think, he did.

He thought about that kiss, first, bringing a smile to his face and a warm tingle to his chest. 

He thought about the mysterious tracks Sheik had mentioned, and quickly pushed the thought away, not wanting to descend into a spiral of what-ifs. 

He thought about his past (despite Sheik's advice) and the sizeable gaps in his memory.

Most of the time, he was okay with it, but every so often it definitely bothered him, not knowing certain aspects about himself. He'd asked Zelda a few questions, of course, when he'd gotten the chance, but having not known him at all before he was named her appointed knight, there was only so much she could tell him. Mostly it had been random facts about his life - that he'd been the son of a knight (which he'd remembered on his own), that he'd mentioned a little sister (whom he couldn't remember at all, and that absolutely killed him); and little things like the fact that he'd loved food, and that he'd been great with kids. 

Impa and Purah hadn't been able to tell him much, either, as their dealings had mostly been directly with Zelda or her father, and not Link. Although Impa had assured him that, at the very core of his soul, he remained the same person he'd always been. That had given him some comfort, at least. 

It paired well with what Sheik had told him, earlier, and his thoughts wandered back to the Sheikah sleeping behind him, and he smiled again. Link turned to look at Sheik through the open flap of the tent, watching the gentle rise and fall of the blanket as he breathed peacefully. He was emitting just the tiniest, quietest of snores, which Link couldn't help but find endearing. He vaguely wondered if he would still find it cute after years of sleeping next to him and hearing it night after night. 

_Whoa_. Where had _that_ thought come from? 

Link puffed out a quiet chuckle and shook his head. He'd never seriously considered spending his life with someone in that way. He'd never had any interest in ever marrying a woman - despite the multitude of dropped hints and even outright offers he'd received from several fathers of young women around Hateno Village; and the logical part of his brain had never allowed him to do much beyond briefly fantasize about the possibility of ever living with another _man_ in a domestic relationship. It... simply wasn't done... that he _knew_ of, anyway. 

He wondered if he could perhaps talk to Bolson about any of this. Or would that be... awkward? 

_Ack_... His head was starting to hurt. Why was he even thinking about any of this? He and Sheik barely even knew each other, yet. He didn't know where any of this would ultimately end up.

He was definitely looking forward to finding out, though, and that thought made him smile. He could allow himself that much, at least.

His eyelids were definitely growing heavy by the time Sheik emerged from the tent several hours later, bleary-eyed and yawning.

"Why didn't you wake me?" Sheik asked as he sat down next to Link, voice rough from sleep. "If I hadn't of woken up on my own, would you even have come in to get me?" 

"I refuse to answer that question," Link deflected, looking into Sheik's sleepy eyes. He looked as though he could fall asleep again at any moment, and Link found himself charmed yet again. 

"Go on, Hero, get some rest." 

"Mmm. Don't call me 'Hero'," Link pouted drowsily. 

"Okay, dumbass," Sheik teased. 

"Hey! 'Link' will do just fine, thank you." He couldn't help but laugh, though. He leaned over and planted a quick kiss on Sheik's cheek, unable to stop himself. Sheik smiled, and then he rested his head on Link's shoulder. There was such a sense of familiarity in the gesture, and Link couldn't help but marvel at how comfortable they both were with each other. He instantly wrapped his arms around the Sheikah, and found that their bodies seemed to fit together like the pieces of a puzzle. A hopeless romantic might say something along the lines that they were simply meant to be together. 

_Oh, good goddesses... I really_ do _need sleep..._

He was about to voice something to that effect when he heard a soft little snore. Somewhat incredulous, Link tried to angle his head down to look at Sheik's face. It was difficult to tell, but by the way the Sheikah's long eyelashes appeared to be laying against his cheekbones, it certainly looked as though he had fallen asleep. Another snore confirmed it. Link bit his lip, desperately trying to keep himself from laughing. He could have woken him, of course, but he simply couldn't bring himself to do it.

There was nothing for it. Snuggling himself in as best he could, he rested his own head against Sheik's, and closed his eyes. 

They stayed that way until sunrise. 

* * *

For the second time in as many days, Sheik was mortified. 

There was just no way the other Sheikah would allow him to keep calling himself one of them. He might as well pack up all of his traditional clothing, armour and weapons, ship them all back to Kakariko, dye his hair brown, and start calling himself a Hylian. 

It was bad enough that he had blown their cover during Link's hunt the day before when his head had gotten lost in the clouds, but to have _fallen asleep on watch duty..._

_... before the person he was relieving had even gone to bed himself..._

It was simply... inexcusable. 

It... wasn't the first time. Growing up, he'd actually earned a reputation for being a bit of a sleepyhead amongst his peers, to his great embarrassment. And that, right there, was probably the biggest reason that he was so upset with himself. He should have known better. Sheik had _always_ been a heavy sleeper. His entire life. Even after... 

"Sheik, honestly, it's fine!" Link was crouched in front of him, trying to reassure him for the umpteenth time that morning. "I spent a whole year sleeping in the wild _alone_ without anyone to watch out for me, monsters lurking around every corner. I'm pretty sure I could hear a bokoblin fart from half a mile away in my sleep." He made a face. "Probably smell it in my sleep, too..." He shook his head. "I would have woken up in an instant if anything had happened last night, trust me. Besides, you were so... _cute_. I couldn't bear to wake you up."

"M'not _cute_ ," Sheik mumbled, face buried in his hands. 

"Oh see, now, that's where you're wrong," Link laughed, gently prying Sheik's hands away from his face. Sheik scowled up at him, pout firmly in place. Link bit his lip. "You're... not helping yourself..." he added, clearly trying not to laugh harder.

"Hmph. Perhaps I fell asleep because I was subconsciously hoping that something _would_ come and drag you away." 

Link snorted, bowing his head as he dissolved further into amusement, and Sheik finally couldn't help but laugh along with him. 

" _Fuuuck,_ " Sheik groaned, shaking his head and turning his eyes skyward, "it's no surprise. I've always been a fraud. Always daydreaming, sleeping through training drills... It's no wonder I'm named after a Sheikah who turned out to not even _be_ a Sheikah." 

"Don't be ridiculous, I like you just the way you are." Link leaned in closer and gave Sheik a soft kiss on the lips, and Sheik's heart skipped a beat. "Don't ever change." 

Looking back into those sapphire eyes, Sheik couldn't help but smile. 

* * *

After breakfast, they packed up the camp, and Sheik lead Link to the place where he'd found the strange tracks. 

Link may not have been a biologist like Sheik, but he knew his basic tracks, and these tracks were anything but basic.

There were only a few prints, the trail originating from a heavily vegetated area and almost immediately disappearing into another, making following it nearly impossible after this much time. Sheik had tried to follow the path through some of the crushed vegetation but, without clear prints, it was difficult to tell if the plants had been crushed by their mystery creature, or simply a large buck. 

"Whatever created them is bipedal," Sheik noted once he'd returned, crouching over the clearest print. 

"Bi-... what?" Link asked sheepishly. 

"Walks on two legs," Sheik explained, not looking up. 

"Oh." That was... disturbing. Link certainly didn't know of any normal forest animals that walked on two legs and left prints like these. His sense of unease was growing by the moment. 

"It doesn't necessarily have to be something monstrous. Biologists discover new species all the time. It's possible that this is a perfectly normal forest-dwelling animal that no one has ever seen," Sheik shrugged his shoulders. "Hell, the tracks could even be fake. When we were learning bushcraft, in the absence of real tracks, our instructors often fabricated some to help us learn. It's not that difficult to do, with the right materials and knowledge." 

Link had definitely encountered more than a few strange - as well as industrious - characters in his travels. It wasn't... impossible, he supposed, and he suddenly had to fight back the image of some eccentric fool traipsing about the forest in a pair of giant, homemade wolf-shoes. 

Sheik summoned an arrow from the Slate and placed it on the ground parallel to the footprint. "For scale," he said in answer to Link's questioning look, and then snapped a picture.

"There's nothing more we can really do," Sheik straightened, looking into Link's eyes. Seeing Link's unease, he added, "I'll send a report to Impa. She can decide whether to send a team down to investigate further. Meanwhile, we can get word to the stables network to advise travellers to be extra cautious in this area." 

Link sighed. "I supposed that's best. I just can't shake this feeling that I should do more." 

"You're retired, remember?" Sheik smiled and took his hand. "Let someone else take care of it, for a change." 

* * *

It wasn't long before they reached the Squabble River, and once Link had spent a good couple of hours fishing, his spirits had improved dramatically. He'd also bagged a few geese, like he'd wanted, and a couple of cranes for good measure. 

Resting under the shade of a large oak, they shared a hearty lunch of fish stew and gazed out over the vast expanse of Blatchery Plain. Hundreds of decayed Guardians still dotted the landscape, and Sheik couldn't help but suppress a shiver. Even in 'death', they still creeped him out. 

"That's where I died, right over there," Link said cheerfully, indicating a distant point across the plain, as though he were simply pointing out an interesting landmark. 

Sheik knew the story, of course. It was taught to every Sheikah child as part of their history lessons, though it was rather surreal to be sitting next to the Hero himself in the very place where it had happened. 

"You seem rather calm about it," Sheik pointed out. 

Link gave Sheik a wry smile. "It's better than moping about it, I guess? It's definitely still something that haunts my nightmares, though. Avoiding it altogether certainly doesn't help, so maybe laughing about it will." 

"Hmm. I'm no therapist, but that sounds like some pretty fuzzy logic to me," Sheik grinned, before allowing his expression to turn serious. "Do... do you want to talk about it?" 

Link looked at him for a moment and blinked a few times. His mouth opened, then closed, and opened again. Furrowing his brow slightly, he finally spoke, "I honestly don't think anyone's asked me that, before." 

"You don't have to..." 

"No... it's okay. Maybe I should..." He drew a deep breath and stared out over the plain, losing himself in the memory. "That night... was so chaotic. Hyrule Castle, and Castle Town itself, were in ruins. Within hours of striking, Calamity Ganon had destroyed everything. Zelda and I had tried to get in there, to get to the King. People were running everywhere, screaming, panicking. A guard found us, told us the King was dead. That getting to the castle was useless. Then more Guardians came. Zelda and I barely escaped with our lives at all. We kept getting attacked - bokoblins, moblins, lizalfos, Guardians - you name it, they came after us. I didn't have time to be afraid - I just mowed through whatever got in our way, and all I could even process in my mind was, 'keep Zelda alive, she's all that matters'. I... kept getting hit, but we had no medical supplies with us, no elixirs, nothing. I didn't even have my shield. So I ignored it. Adrenaline kept me going. As long as Zelda was alive, I needed to be, too. So I kept going. 

"By the time we reached Blatchery Plain, I can remember feeling nauseous and dizzy. It finally occurred to me that my injuries might actually be really serious. 'Just get her to Fort Hateno,' I thought, 'it's right there, on the other side of the Plain'. But there were _so many_ damn Guardians."

Link took a shuddering breath, and Sheik could see that his hands were clenched into fists. 

"We were overwhelmed. I took even more hits. They were finally starting to hurt, and I was in so much pain. I remember I was coughing up blood. Still, I wasn't afraid for myself, all I cared about was Zelda. I kept trying to fight, to protect her, even though I could barely stand up anymore. 

"She told me to run, to save myself, but that option didn't even compute in my mind. I was bound to my duty, to her, and if I had to die to save her, then so be it. 

"One of the Guardians spotted us, and I remember just staring down that red beam, almost willing it to hit me just so that Zelda could have a chance to run, when suddenly she threw herself in front of me. There was this beautiful, blinding, golden light, and suddenly everything was quiet. She'd finally unlocked her power. 

"I guess that's when my body decided that the immediate threat was finally over, and I just collapsed. Zelda rushed to my side, and I wanted to tell her to just leave me and get to the Fort in case something else came, but I couldn't speak. I could... _feel_ the blood filling my lungs. It felt like I was drowning, and... and I knew I was dying. She held me in her arms and told me I was going to be okay, even though we both knew it was bullshit. I wanted to tell her that I was sorry, that I'd failed, but I just couldn't get the words out. And then... all the sounds around me just... faded away. _She_ faded away... And that was it."

Sheik listened in respectful silence, and when Link looked at him, Sheik could see that his eyes were damp, though he'd shed no tears. Sheik only realized now that he had taken one of Link's hands.

"Do you still feel like you failed?" Sheik asked quietly, after a moment. 

Link looked thoughtful as he rubbed his thumb over the back of Sheik's hand. "No," he said, finally, "I know Zelda never would have made it as far as she had without me - and I don't mean that to sound arrogant. She's even told me as much, herself. Of course, it would have been nice to _survive_ and defeat Calamity Ganon back then and save Hyrule a hundred years of hardship, but that just sends us down a huge, branching path filled with too many what-ifs."

He blew out a breath, puffing out out his cheeks, and looked up at the sky. "No... I think... part of what nags me is that the _only_ thing I felt at that time was that dying simply equalled failing my duty. I wasn't afraid of losing my life, for my own personal sake - not even a little... I think, because my life wasn't my own to begin with." He looked back at Sheik suddenly. "I think... maybe that's partly what I'm still afraid of. Why I still have nightmares. I... feel like wanting my own life - my own _happiness_ \- is selfish..." He shook his head. 

"... That's pretty messed up, Link," Sheik said, sincerely hoping that the limb he'd just walked out on wouldn't snap beneath him. 

Link gaped at him for a moment, his expression dancing between offence and amusement, "um, _ouch_?" 

Sheik forged ahead. "Do you truly believe that, though? That your life isn't truly worth anything to you? How can you think that, when you clearly have such a respect for all life? 'All life' includes you, Link. You have just as much right to be here - to be _happy_ \- as anyone else." 

Link stared at him for a moment, mouth hanging open, before scrubbing his face with both hands, and chuckling. "Wow. 'No therapist', my ass." 

"I think we both forgot who my grandmother is," Sheik smiled. He took Link's hand again and, feeling bold, kissed the backs of his knuckles. "Are you alright?" 

"Heh, yeah. It actually felt pretty good to get all of that out. I might have even had a bit of a breakthrough," Link sighed, and after a moment added, "thank you, Sheik." 

Sheik looked back into those blue eyes and smiled. "You're welcome." 

* * *

Link decided to head over to the Dueling Peaks Stable and tell them about the unexplained tracks, while Sheik stayed behind to snap more pictures for the Compendium. He'd said he also wouldn't mind checking out the Guardians up close, even though they 'gave him the creeps'. So Link hopped onto the Master Cycle Zero and told him that he'd be back shortly. 

As much as he loved spending time with Sheik, the solo ride helped him to clear his head a little. 

It didn't take him long to get there, considering it was just on the other side of the plain, and at the speed Link was travelling, it was hardly any distance at all. He chatted with the owner, Tasseren, for a while, catching up on news, gossip from around Hyrule, and the like. It sounded as though restoration efforts in Castle Town were going well, and that a local Hylian family was even working to get the historic Lon Lon Ranch near the Mabe Village ruins up and running, again. Tasseren had not heard anything about strange tracks or encounters with unknown creatures, though, but promised to alert the other stable owners and warn any travellers passing through to be on the lookout. Satisfied, Link thanked him and bid him farewell. 

Link rode quickly, wanting to get back to Sheik and start heading back to Hateno Village. It was only early afternoon, but it would be near dark by the time they got back as it was. 

He didn't immediately see the Sheikah as he drew nearer to where he'd left him, so he slowed his pace and cast his gaze around. Suddenly, he heard an all too familiar sound - the clash of steel, and the unmistakable grunts and squeals of a pack of bokoblins. 

" _Shit_ ," Link cursed, straining his ears to determine from exactly which direction the sounds where coming from. 

Monsters weren't nearly as plentiful in Hyrule as they'd used to be - with Calamity Ganon defeated, there were no more Blood Moons to continuously respawn them - but there were still more than a few stragglers wandering about. 

Rounding the corner of a ruined building, Link finally spotted what he'd been looking for. He jumped from the Master Cycle Zero and drew his broadsword in one fluid motion, ready to start fighting. 

But Sheik was already there. He was armed with an Eightfold Blade in each hand - the left in a reverse grip - and wore a determined, focused expression on his face. He slipped between his foes as effortlessly as a shadow, as gracefully as a dancer. He cut, sliced, jabbed, and parried, not wasting a single move. Just like that morning in the forest, Link found himself completely transfixed as he watched the Sheikah fight.

Four bokoblins already lay dead on the ground, and Sheik was in the process of dispatching the final one when Link caught up to him.

" _Ha!_ " Sheik shouted as he took the head clean off of the repugnant beast. He looked up, noticing Link, and tensed again for an instant before relaxing once more. 

"Ah, nice of you to join me, now that they're _all dead_ ," Sheik smirked as he wiped his blades, before sheathing them.

"Nice job," Link admired, grinning. "Are you hurt?" 

He shook his head, "I'm fine." 

"Good. Sorry... I should have been here..." 

Sheik clicked his tongue. "Don't be ridiculous. You had a job to do, and I can handle myself." 

"Clearly," Link agreed. He still had a hard time reminding himself that not everyone needed saving. He sighed, "well, no sense letting this go to waste. Monster parts for elixirs are actually pretty hard to come by, these days. We should harvest some for the apothecary." 

" _Blech_ ," Sheik grimaced, face turning a little green, "now I almost wish I hadn't killed them." 

Link laughed. "What kind of biologist are you?" 

* * *

It was well after dark before they arrived back in Hateno Village. They stopped at Link's house first, so that he could unload all of his inventory from the Slate before letting Sheik take it. It was going straight back to Purah the following morning. 

Standing in the doorway, Link wrapped his arms around Sheik in an affectionate hug. "I'm glad you came with me. I had a really great time with you." 

"Me, too," Sheik said, looking into Link's eyes. He swallowed nervously, then tilted his head up and gave Link a shy kiss on the lips. 

Link immediately wasn't satisfied with that, and slid his fingers up to Sheik's neck. He carefully angled Sheik's head up and kissed him again. He moved his lips slowly and gently, not wanting to overwhelm the Sheikah too quickly, but it wasn't long before Sheik was responding in kind, moving his own lips in almost perfect synchronicity. Sheik's lips were so soft, and he tasted so good. Link experimentally ran his tongue over Sheik's bottom lip, and was pleasantly surprised when Sheik opened his mouth a little. Heart rate picking up, Link poked his tongue into Sheik's mouth, and quietly moaned when Sheik's tongue eagerly rose to the challenge. Sheik's fingers tightened around Link's shoulders, and Link relished the feel of his warm body pressing against his own. That pleasant, tingling feeling bloomed in his chest, and he found himself simply wanting to stay in the moment forever. He buried his fingers in Sheik's soft hair, loosening the base of his braid, and happily allowed himself to just descend into the nearly overwhelming feelings. 

Finally coming up for air, they allowed their lips to separate, but didn't pull their bodies apart. They simply stood there, resting their foreheads together, both smiling and panting slightly. 

"Come over for dinner tomorrow?" Link asked. 

Sheik smiled a little wider. "I'd like that."


	5. Chapter 5

_He stumbles out of the darkness of the Shrine of Resurrection. Outside is too bright. Too big. Too much. Something is missing. Everything is wrong._

_"You have to save the world, hero," Beedle tells him._

_"I already did. Didn't I?"_

_"The king is in the castle. Go tear it down."_

_"I already tore it down. Ganon is dead. I'm happy now. I have... I have..."_

_What was it that he had? Something... Some_ one _...? He... can't remember..._

 _His memories are gone. Again. Oh gods_ no! _Nooo, not again!_

 _An image of silver-blond hair flowing in a long braid, a lithe, graceful body, floats in his mind's eye, but the face is blank. He has forgotten_ him _, the one that makes him happy._

Sheik! _screams the waking part of his brain, the part that tries to tell him it's just a dream, but the thought slips from his mind like water through his fingers._

 _It's devastating. He wants to cry. He wants to scream that it's not fair. He wants to go back and fix it, bring_ him _back, the one that makes him happy. Why can't he remember him?_

_Hyrule Castle is a torrential, swirling mass of magenta malice in front of him. He holds a rusty broadsword in his hand, knowing he will likely fail, but still unable to turn away. Tear down the king - or the castle? No, the king - and he'll remember again. Tear down the king..._

_Deep, rumbling laughter, a demon's laughter, reverberates throughout his core._

_"Hyrule's Broken Hero, come to tear me down._ Absurd _. You will never succeed, because I will always return, and you will always fight me. Even if you win, you still lose. Because. I._ Always _. Return."_

_A Phantom of Ganon, half the size of the castle itself, stands before him. All black, swirling mass, a billowing cloak, wicked horns, burning embers for eyes, and a demon's laugh._

He _kneels in front of the Phantom, in chains. The one who makes him happy. His beautiful, silver-blond braid red with blood, clothes red with blood, body bruised and broken. He looks up at him, the sting of betrayal somehow still painfully apparent on his hidden face._

_"You... forgot me... how could you..."_

_"No!" he screams. "I didn't want to! I love you! You make me so happy. I was_ finally so happy _..." He does cry now, unable to stop it, tears of despair flowing from his eyes._

_The Phantom laughs harder as a long, jagged, jet-black blade materializes in its hand. It stabs it straight through the back of the one he loves, the blade protruding grotesquely through the front of his chest. Blood pours from him in a torrent as he lets out a choked, gurgling cry, and after a moment he slumps forward onto the ground. Still. Dead. Gone._

_He screams. Screams and cries and screams as the beautiful young man dies in front of him, instantly mourning everything they could have had. Could have been. He can't remember him, but it hurts like he's known him for a thousand lifetimes. Nothing has_ ever _hurt this much..._

_Still laughing cruelly, the Phantom withdraws the bloody blade from the now lifeless body, and advances on him, now._

_He looks up into those soulless ember eyes, and almost welcomes the cold steel when it pierces his heart._

* * *

Link awoke with a gasp, drenched in a cold sweat. Unconsciously, he clutched at his chest, the stinging bite of frigid steel still vivid in his flesh. Far worse than that, though, the image of Sheik ( _oh goddesses, Sheik_...) dying in front of him was burned into his brain. All that blood, and the way his body had slumped, lifeless, to the ground...

Link had to take a moment to shake off the disorientation, convince himself that it was just another dream. That didn't help to lessen his immediate distress, though. Never mind the fact that the nightmare had also preyed on the insecurities he still harboured about his memory loss. The thought of waking up in that Shrine all over again with no memories... no memories of _Sheik_... Goddesses, he felt sick.

"Ugh..." Link groaned, scrubbing both hands over his face. He wouldn't be going back to sleep, that much was certain. Like all of the other dreams, Link knew that the feelings and images would fade over the course of the day, but for now, he'd have to bear being haunted by it.

Weak light streaming through the window told him that dawn was near, so at least he'd managed to sleep most of the night. He hauled himself up to a sitting position.

It had been a few weeks since their hunting trip, and he and Sheik had only grown closer in that time. Shared dinners, sometimes at Link's house, sometimes at Sheik's; many mornings spent together before work as Sheik trained, while he also attempted to teach Link the finer points of Sheikah-style fighting (with mixed results); countless evenings spent lost in conversation until the wee hours of the morning. Much, _much_ more kissing. And cuddling. Link particularly loved the cuddling.

Groaning again, Link was just about to swing his legs over the side of the bed when he realized, with a jolt, that he'd said 'I love you' to the Sheik in his dream.

"Oh..."

It had poured out of his mouth so easily, and even amidst the intense chaos of what had been happening, it had felt... like a completely natural thing to say.

Did... did he _love_ Sheik? He wasn't completely sure what it was supposed to feel like. He was fairly sure that it hadn't been 'love' with Shad. Yes, he'd been attracted to him, had cared for him, and they'd had fun together, but he didn't truly feel that he'd been _in love_ with him. That had mostly been... mutual exploration?

He lay back down in his bed, suddenly lost in deep thought. Thinking about Sheik always brought a warm, fuzzy bloom of emotion to Link's chest, and it made him inexplicably happy. But, more than that, he wanted Sheik to be safe, and happy, and protected. Link wanted to provide all of those things for him. He... wanted Sheik in his life.

Was that... love?

If it was, then... wasn't it too soon? It had only been a few weeks. Or was this simply how it started?

... Why was this so infuriatingly complicated?

"Aaaagghh!" He pulled his pillow out from under his head and mashed it over his face. He wouldn't even be thinking about this if it hadn't have been for that dream.

 _The dream_. Those dreadful images returned unbidden to his mind's eye, and he had to suppress a shudder. One thing was for certain - the thought of losing Sheik like that, was just too horrifying to even contemplate.

Tossing the pillow aside, he dragged himself out of bed.

Time for a run.

* * *

After following his typical route, Link found himself back at the Myahm Agana Shrine, his usual resting spot. The sun had just barely peeked over the horizon, bathing the landscape in beautifully haunting, fiery shades of red and orange. Many of the leaves had begun to change colour, only adding to the illusion.

It was still a touch too early for his sleepyhead of a boyfriend (that term still caused his lips to curl up into a smile) to be up and training, but he cast a glance over to their little clearing, nonetheless.

As expected, there was no sign of the Sheikah, but Link did spot the figure of Bolson, languidly stretched out on the ground, eyes closed and expression peaceful. Link had learned that the man liked to come up here some mornings to relax and "ponder" by himself. The image reminded Link very much of all the times he used to find Bolson, Hudson, and Karson lazily crowded around the cook pot outside of his house, and he had to suppress a chuckle.

As though sensing his presence, Bolson cracked his eyes open and immediately fixed his gaze on Link.

"Link, darling!" he called cheerfully, waving him over, "have a good run?"

Smiling in greeting, Link made his way over and seated himself next to the older man, taking a deep inhale of the crisp, forest air.

"Yeah, I suppose I did. Helped clear my head, a little."

Bolson nodded sympathetically. Link had confided in him a little about his nightmares before. It wouldn't do to have his employer wondering why he was sometimes half asleep on the job, after all.

"How are things going with your Sheikah?" he asked, with a sly twinkle in his eye and a little waggle of his eyebrows.

Link felt his cheeks heating up, but couldn't stop the smile that crept onto his face. Bolson spotted it immediately.

"Ooh!" he exclaimed delightedly. "That well, hmm?"

"Heh," embarrassed, Link rubbed the back of his neck, "yeah, I guess things _are_ going pretty well. I... I really like him a lot."

"That's wonderful, Link. I'm happy for you." Bolson sighed wistfully. "Ahh, young love..."

There was that word, again.

"Bolson, m-may I ask you something?"

"Of course, darling!"

"..." Suddenly feeling self-conscious, Link furrowed his brow in thought, aiming his gaze at the ground. Gathering his nerve, he finally managed to stutter out his question. "Um, are there... a lot of, you know, men like... _us_ out there?"

"You mean men who like other men?"

Link nodded.

"Well, dear, it's hard to say with any certainty, since many don't exactly feel comfortable advertising. But I've known quite a few in my lifetime, since being out - 'loud and proud', as some of us like to say - causes others to feel safe talking to me. As you, yourself, have just demonstrated." He gave Link a warm smile, before turning his gaze out over the village. "We're all over, really, tucked into nearly every facet of society, and have been throughout history. Women, too, I might add, not just men. I'd say most live in secret - our society is not exactly known for being kind to those who are 'different'. I've known people who were abandoned by their own families just for being like us." He shook his head sadly. "Some try to cover up who they are and force themselves into traditional marriages under the guise of 'normalcy', which is a true shame. Others give in to the pressures of their families to marry."

"That's awful..." Link had long feared being forced to live intimately with someone he didn't love, and had indeed already decided that he was likely never to marry if he had a choice. But then again, he had the unspoken privilege of being the Hero of Hyrule, and had nearly free reign to keep getting away with dodging the touchy subject. He figured that may become more difficult as he got older, though.

He also didn't have a family to pressure him, either, he thought with a conflicting mix of relief and sadness.

"It really is," Bolson agreed, but then he perked up. "It's not all doom and gloom, though. Many lovers find ways to make it work, whether they are out publicly or not. Amid all the hate and discrimination, there is also love and understanding. I've been very fortunate to have good friends and a supportive family. That, alone, can make all the difference in the world. Not everyone is so lucky."

Link had a sudden memory of Shad telling him that his father would "kill him" if he ever found out about his preferences. There was definitely a reason they'd always been hiding - probably several. Link tried to recall what his own parents might have thought, but came up empty-handed.

He wondered what Zelda would think. She was as stubborn as stubborn could get, but she was also a very warm, loving, and fair person. On the other hand, she was royalty - and that bound her to generations' worth of ingrained tradition. Who truly knew how she would react? He thought of his coworkers - some of whom could possibly be counted as friends - and already knew that some of them were quite open about their discomfort with Bolson's orientation. Most simply didn't talk about it at all.

What would _Sheik's_ family and friends think? Or the entire Sheikah tribe as a whole?

"Watch yourself, darling, you'll have smoke coming out of those pretty ears of yours, soon," Bolson teased, having obviously noticed Link's lapse into deep thought.

Link offered him a sheepish smile. "Sorry. Just... so much to think about."

"Don't apologize. It certainly _is_ a lot to think about." He flashed him another warm smile. "You can talk to me anytime, Link. I haven't earned the nickname 'Mama B' in our community for nothing."

Link laughed out loud at that. It was certainly strange to be talking to Bolson about this, but he found himself grateful, nonetheless. They'd always been friendly, and of course had a professional relationship, though Link never imagined he'd be asking the older man for life advice, like he were some sort of father (mother?) figure. It was... nice.

Bolson suddenly clapped his hands. "Let's change the subject. So, have you and your Sheikah gotten to... _that_ level, yet?" Bolson asked with a sly smirk and yet another eyebrow waggle.

Comprehension dawning immediately, Link's cheeks flushed before he could even drop his eyes. "um, _jeeesh_ , Bolson," he chuckled nervously, "no, not yet..."

"And, not to get _too_ personal-" ( _too late for that!_ Link thought,) "-but do you even know how to go about it?"

"... Um... I have some... idea? I mean, I know how it works between a man and a woman, and I can put two and two together..." Of _course_ the thought had crossed his mind. Why was Bolson asking him this? And why was Link actually _answering_ him? He was pretty sure his face was about to burst into flame...

"Hmm. That's what I was afraid of." Bolson tapped his chin thoughtfully. "Alright then, honey, you'd better listen up. The mechanics aren't nearly as simple as you might think. There are some _very_ important things you need to know and, trust me, you'll both thank me later!"

As mortifying an experience as it was, after listening to everything Bolson proceeded to say, Link wholeheartedly conceded his ignorance and had to admit that he was grateful for the information.

As for whether his face would ever return to its original colour, however, would remain to be seen.

* * *

"Hero!" The distinct voice of Hano called out to Link, who was perched high above the ground, nailing the finishing touches into a roof frame. "Get your ass down here and come out to the tavern with us! We won't take no for an answer, this time!"

Link considered for a moment. It was the end of the workweek, which meant a day off tomorrow. And that meant that Link could at least sleep in if he had a late night and another lousy sleep. It _had_ been some time since Link had socialized with his coworkers, and he supposed he should give in before they decided to stop inviting him altogether.

"Sure, Hano. Go on ahead, I'll meet you down there."

"You better!"

Gathering his tools, he climbed down the ladder and turned around to find Sheik, on his way home. They both smiled upon seeing each other.

"Hey," Link greeted him casually, as they usually did when in public, "done for the day?"

"Yeah," Sheik replied. He glanced around. "Do you want to come over for dinner?"

"Ah, I just told the crew that I'd meet them down at the tavern for drinks." Link paused. "Why don't you come with me?"

Sheik appeared flustered almost immediately. "C-come with you? Um... I'm not usually good with crowds of people I don't know but... um, sure, okay... why not?"

Link had to suppress his smile. He couldn't help but sympathize with Sheik's nervousness. He certainly wasn't the most socially adept, himself, but at least he already knew his coworkers.

"Stick with me, you'll be fine," Link reassured him.

After a quick detour home to wash up and change (Link had been working like a dog all day, after all), they met back at the same spot and headed down to the tavern together.

The tavern had been built onto the existing Ton Pu Inn, one of the many business expansions that had occurred in the wake of Ganon's defeat. It had been a collective effort between Prima - the inn's owner - her father, and Bolson Construction. Bolson had nearly walked away from the job when Prima had insisted the tavern match the original esthetic of the rest of the village, rather than Bolson's modern style. He had eventually relented, however, and the Thirsty Moblin was born. Who's idea the name had been, Link was not sure.

Link spotted his coworkers immediately. The boisterous group was easy to pick out, as they were hogging several tables at the back corner of the room, filling the entire tavern with their raucous laughter.

"We're going to be spending the evening with _that_ lot?" Sheik whispered nervously.

"They really aren't so bad..." Link replied hesitantly, as a particularly large man named Koto downed an entire tankard of ale in one gulp, to the raucous cheers of his mates. Link frowned slightly... the sun had barely set and they were already this far gone?

"Sure..." Sheik muttered.

Link made his way over to the group, an almost visibly nervous Sheik following closely behind. Link wished he could squeeze his hand in an offer of comfort, but that... probably wouldn't go over well, here.

"Hey, Link's here!" Hano shouted, using his actual name, for once. Another round of cheering accompanied this announcement, and Link was nearly knocked off of his feet after several meaty hands clapped him on the back. "Sit down, sit down, have a drink! We're celebrating, tonight! Ah, who's your friend?"

Link stepped a little to the side to allow everyone to see the poor Sheikah, who was practically cowering behind him. To his credit, however, Sheik straightened his posture and immediately adopted a more confident expression. Apparently he was far better at masking his anxiety than his cousin, Paya.

"I'm Sheik," he answered for himself, extending his hand to Hano, "pleased to meet you."

Hano grasped the proffered hand in a firm grip and gave it a hearty shake. "Hano," he said with a nod. "You even old enough to be in here!?" he chuckled.

"I'm nineteen," Sheik replied, with a slight frown.

"Jus' teasing," Hano shook his head. Then his brow twitched as recognition dawned. "You're the one who moved into Number 5! Ah, sorry I didn't introduce myself sooner. Welcome to Hateno Village!"

"Thank you," Sheik politely bowed his head.

Link and Sheik took a seat next to each other, as the rest of the crew introduced themselves to Sheik. A tankard of ale was immediately placed in front of each of them, and Link couldn't help but notice the slight face that Sheik made as he stared into its depths.

Ignoring it for the moment, Link took a sip of his own, before remembering something. Swallowing his mouthful, he turned to Hano. "You said we were celebrating something?"

"Yeah! Koto over here is gonna be a dad!"

Cheers erupted once again, as though the news had just been announced for the first time.

Link beamed at him. "That's wonderful, Koto! Congratulations!"

"Lena gave me the news this morning. Couldn't be happier!" The man proceeded to raise a fresh tankard, before downing that one as well.

 _Well, that explains why everyone is already half drunk_ , Link thought wryly, taking another gulp of his own drink.

Sheik had yet to touch his, and Link quietly asked him if he was alright.

"I've... never liked ale, to be honest. But, I don't want to be rude, either." He finally picked up the tankard, took a hearty swig, swallowed it, and promptly gagged. Link did his best to cover his snort, and failed.

"Sorry," he said, putting his hands up in defense when Sheik scowled at him.

Robson, one of Bolson's earliest hires, had unfortunately witnessed the entire scene from across the table.

"Ah, I don't blame ya, Master Sheik. I can't stand the piss, myself." He held up his own glass, which contained a much darker - and somewhat cloudier - liquid than ale, "I prefer rum and palm fruit juice. Was introduced to it in Lurelin Village."

"That... doesn't sound so bad..." Sheik said hesitantly.

" _BARKEEP!_ "

* * *

'See what Sheik will drink next' seemed to have become somewhat of a game as the evening wore on. The only alcohol Sheik had ever actually enjoyed before was Kakariko wine, and unfortunately the Thirsty Moblin was not the place to find any of that.

After his third 'experiment' - a rich, red concoction of some sort made from fermented wildberries, not unlike wine, really - Sheik was feeling decidedly tipsy. He was not accustomed to getting drunk, and the feeling was quite unfamiliar. Despite his slight uneasiness with the thought of losing control of himself, he did find that he was feeling much less anxious. He even found himself readily engaging in conversation, to his very pleasant surprise.

Link kept casting him covert looks out of the corner of his eye, and Sheik was sure he caught a brief smile here and there. It caused a little flutter in his stomach each time, and he hoped the others at the table were too occupied with their drinks and conversation to notice.

Yet another drink had just been plopped in front of him when Koto suddenly leaned across the table and gave him a sly grin.

"What are you smiling about, Sheikah? Thinking about a pretty girl you left back home?"

 _Shit_. Despite the warmth Sheik was feeling from the alcohol, he was quite sure that all of the colour had drained from his face. "Uh, n-no-"

"Ah come on, I'd know that look anywhere! What's she like?"

"Is she a good lay?" one of the other guys - Ito, was it? - howled from the next table over, causing even Koto to shoot him a scowl. Sheik suddenly wanted nothing more than to disappear.

Link quickly came to his rescue.

"Jeeze, lay off of him, guys," Link said, chuckling, "he doesn't even know you idiots yet." His lighthearted attitude effectively conveyed that, while no one was offended yet, it would be appreciated if they would all 'please shut the fuck up'.

It seemed to work. Ito rolled his eyes good-naturedly and resumed his conversation with the people around him, but Koto at least had the decency to look embarrassed.

"Sorry, I was jus' teasin'. Didn't mean anything by it."

"Don't worry about it," Sheik said, picking up his new drink and chugging about half of it in one go. He nonchalantly slid his foot over and nudged Link's, trying to quietly convey his thanks, and had to bite his lip when Link nudged him back.

"That doesn't mean _you_ get off so easy, though, Hero," Hano piped in. "My cousin is still hounding me to set you up with her. Just have dinner with her, what's the harm?"

Link forced a smile onto his face. "What's the matter, you're not good enough for her?"

Hano's face contorted from shock, to outrage, to embarrassment as the entire crew burst into equal parts laughs and jeers. Link received several claps on the back, causing him to spill some of his ale, and soon even Hano was howling with laughter. Sheik couldn't help but notice the quietly triumphant look on Link's face, and laughed himself.

" _BARKEEP!_ " someone shouted, "another round!"

* * *

Sheik was drunk.

So was Link, but Sheik was absolutely, utterly crocked. He was barely sitting straight in his chair, and Link was fairly sure that another few minutes might see him face down on the table.

"Better see 'im home, Hero," Koto muttered drowsily from his side of the table, "or he might be tits up in a ditch come morning."

"Will do, Koto," Link yawned. "Congratulations again." Koto smiled sleepily at him, nodding his acknowledgement. Link hoped the slightly older man would get home alright, himself, and felt a little bad for the man's wife.

"Come on, Sheik, let's go," Link hooked an arm under Sheik's shoulder and pulled him up. Sheik mumbled something about not wanting to leave the party yet, and Link let out a soft snort. "Half the guys have already gone home."

They stumbled outside rather ungracefully, Link supporting most of Sheik's weight. The fresh air seemed to rouse Sheik a little bit, and he raised his head.

"Wherewe goin'?" he slurred, and Link chuckled.

"Your house. It's a bit closer."

"Mmm..."

They eventually reached said house, and Link had to fish around in Sheik's pockets to find his key (blushing the entire time). Finally he opened the door, and attempted to usher the drunken Sheikah over the threshold. They tripped, and landed in a heap just inside the door, both laughing.

Still giggling underneath Link, Sheik looked dazedly up into his face. They locked eyes, and Sheik smiled.

"You're pretty," he giggled.

Link's heart couldn't help but flutter at the compliment, even if it was coming from an inebriated Sheik.

"And you're drunk," he chuckled, and kissed him on the nose before hauling himself up.

"Whoo you cawing...clawing... clall... _Imnotdrunk!_ "

"Hee. Okay."

"Hmph," Sheik huffed as Link helped him back to his (very unsteady) feet. "Yer drunk, too..."

"Yeah, but a'least I can still stand up on my own," Link pointed out, only slurring a little, "and help your drunken ass."

"Leaf my ass outta this!"

Link burst into laughter, "but it's such a cute ass..."

Huffing again, Sheik looked up at him. "S'a good thing I - _hic_ \- like you so much."

Closing the door behind them, Link escorted Sheik to the chair by the fireplace, where he sat down heavily. He immediately closed his eyes, and Link headed to the kitchen to get them each a glass of water. He returned with them, just as Sheik was opening his eyes again. He proceeded to grip the arms of the chair, suddenly looking quite unsettled.

"Why'se room spinning..."

Link laughed again. "Rooms do that when you're drunk."

Sheik's eyes moved up to meet Link's. He was frowning. "I don'like it. Make it stop."

Chuckling again, Link placed the two glasses of water on the hearth and crouched in front of him. "I'm sorry, love. I can't."

At those words, Sheik's ruby eyes flashed as they momentarily widened and, all of a sudden, he looked quite sober.

"What'd you call me?" he whispered.

Link froze. _Oh_. He blinked a few times, trying to shake himself out of his shock, before slowly moving to take Sheik's hands. "Um... I called you 'love', because..." Gathering his courage, he looked up into Sheik's eyes and saw that, while his body language was overall that of someone who was completely soused, his eyes were one hundred percent focused on Link.

Despite the intense scrutiny, in that moment Link's nervousness melted away. "... Because I love you."

Sheik stared at him a moment longer, those ruby eyes boring into Link's very soul. His mouth had fallen open slightly.

"Um, maybe telling you this while I'm drunk is not the best idea, but..."

He trailed off when he realized that Sheik was sliding out of the chair, coming to rest in a kneeling position in front of him, holding his eyes the entire time. He raised both hands to Link's face, leaned forward, and captured his lips in a heated kiss. Link made a small sound of surprise, before giving in and returning the kiss, wrapping his arms tightly around Sheik's back.

It was sloppy, given both of their inebriated states, but that hardly stopped them. Their actions became more frantic and, before long, their hands were roaming all over each other's bodies, slipping under shirts and running through hair. Sheik lifted himself up to straddle Link's lap, bringing them even closer. It was an extremely forward move, definitely catching Link by surprise. But even more surprising was the hardness Link suddenly felt pressing into his groin, and he couldn't help but moan into Sheik's mouth. He quickly realized that his own body was responding as well, and he found himself desperately wanting to grind his hips upward.

Somehow, distant alarm bells managed to sound in Link's head, and his eyes fluttered open.

This... this was all wrong.

He pulled away from the kiss, hating himself, and gently placed his hands on Sheik's shoulders. Sheik's mouth tried to follow him, but Link pulled back a little further.

"W-wait. Sheik, s-stop," Link stuttered, panting, "we're both really drunk. We shouldn't do this now."

Some of the tension left Sheik's body, and he slumped back a little. "Y-you're right, you're right," he muttered, "I'm sorry..."

Link cupped his cheek with one hand and shook his head, "no, it's alright." He swallowed, "it's not that I don't want to - gods, I _do_ \- just... not like this."

Sheik nodded, sliding off of Link's lap and resting against the chair. He suddenly looked completely exhausted, the effects of the alcohol catching up with him once again.

"Here, you should drink this," Link said, turning to retrieve the water he'd fetched from the kitchen before. Looking back to Sheik, however, he found that he had already passed out cold. And then came the snores, right on cue.

"Or not," Link couldn't help but chuckle, and he sat back, sipping his own water. "Ohh, you're going to have a rough morning."

* * *

_I'm going to die. Oh gods, I'm going to die._

_Or... maybe I_ did _die, and this is hell._

Sheik cracked his eyes open, only to slam them shut again when the light filtering through his curtains stabbed into the very core of his brain. And then he noticed the nausea...

"Ohhh..." he moaned miserably. His mouth felt like the Gerudo desert.

"You're awake," a soft, familiar voice spoke next to him, and he realized for the first time that there were arms wrapped around him. He dared to open his eyes again, and turned his head to see Link's smiling face peering at him.

"Ungh, kill me..." Sheik replied. He closed his eyes again, too miserable to even contemplate the fact that Link was in his bed.

Link chuckled sympathetically, propping himself up on an elbow, and kissed him on the forehead. "I don't feel so great, either, but I'm clearly better off than you. First hangover?"

Sheik nodded, regretting the motion immediately. He scrubbed his hands over his face. "How did I even get up here?"

"I carried you," Link giggled.

Sheik's eyes flew open, sending an ice pick through his head. "You didn't!"

"I did, too. It was either that or leave you on the living room floor," he shrugged one shoulder. "How much of last night do you remember?"

With effort, Sheik thought back, and disjointed flashes of the previous evening began coming to him. There had been... drinking. Laughing. Stumbling home. Sitting in the chair in his living room. Link telling him-

 _Oh_...

He opened his eyes again and looked at Link, a nervous anticipation growing in his gut. "Um, most of it? I think? I remember that you said... you said you love me..."

Looking slightly nervous himself, Link met his eyes. "I remember that, too. And... it wasn't the alcohol talking." He tentatively reached out and ran the backs of his fingers over Sheik's cheek. "I meant it."

A happy, tingling feeling invaded Sheik's core, and he couldn't help but smile. "I'm glad. Because, I've been thinking about it for a while, and I'm pretty sure that I love you, too."

"Really?" Link said, his eyes lighting up.

Smiling again, Sheik nodded. "Really. I was afraid to be the first one to say it," he added, a little sheepishly.

Link bit his lip, possibly in an attempt to hide a face-splitting grin, before leaning down and giving Sheik a warm, but chaste kiss. That summoned another memory to the forefront of Sheik's mind - the actions that had followed that confession. He remembered - with embarrassment - practically throwing himself at Link. After that was where things got... fuzzy. He swallowed.

"Um... After that... we didn't... uh... did we...?"

"No," Link chuckled, his cheeks flushing slightly. "Things definitely got... _heated_ , but we stopped."

"Oh," Sheik let out a relieved breath, "good, because I think I'd rather be fully present when that actually happens."

A surprised look crossed over Link's face, and he flushed a little deeper. "Are you saying you'd... actually like to? With me?"

Sheik started, realizing what he'd just said. Of course it had crossed his mind. More than a few times.

His answer came when he looked into Link's eyes, marvelling once again at how easy it was to do so, even considering the topic of conversation, and he smiled. "Yeah," he said softly, "I would."

Link let out a nervous breath and grinned. "O-okay then. Um... me too." His hand moved to gently tuck some of Sheik's hair behind his ear, and he stared into his eyes. Sheik couldn't help but get lost in those deep blue sapphires.

Sheik's stomach chose that moment to remind him of his hangover, and he suddenly had to stifle a gag. "I mean, maybe not _now_ ," he half laughed, half groaned, effectively ruining the moment.

Link laughed. "Gods, of course not," he said, flopping his head back down onto the pillow, letting out a groan of his own.

Link lazily wrapped his arms around him again and they stayed in the bed, cuddled together in mutual misery, until mid-afternoon.


	6. Chapter 6

They dragged themselves out of bed sometime that afternoon, nausea eventually turning to hunger - at least for Link. It took a great amount of coaxing to get Sheik out of the bed, and Link had to endure a rather surprising amount of muttered expletives thrown in his direction. He took them all good-naturedly, though, and eventually he and a very miserable Sheik were heading down the stairs. Link was honestly quite impressed that Sheik hadn't actually thrown up at any point, though the poor Sheikah might have actually felt better if he had.

"Rice," Link declared. "I'll make us some rice. It's one of the best foods for a hangover, I promise."

"You seem quite experienced with this," Sheik mumbled from the kitchen table, cradling his still sore head in both hands.

"I've been hanging out with those guys for almost a year, now," Link laughed as he moved about the kitchen, filling a pot with Hylian rice and then adding some water. "You think that's the first time I've gotten drunk with them? Besides, I grew up surrounded by knights and soldiers. Give those guys a night off and the first thing they do is head straight to the pub and get sloshed. I may not remember my baby sister, but at least I know a few hangover remedies so, you know, small victories." He shot a wry smile in Sheik's direction, who returned a small, sympathetic smile of his own. Link placed the pot on the stove and filled two glasses with more water before moving over to the small table and sitting down with Sheik.

"Drink," he instructed, placing one glass in front of Sheik while sipping his own.

"Why are you being so nice to me?" Sheik grumbled, picking up his glass, "this is completely my own fault. Impa probably would have had me running laps around the village all day as punishment."

"Eh, the first hangover is almost always excusable. But besides, I thought we established already that I like you." Link reached across the table and took one of Sheik's hands. " _More_ than 'like' you, actually."

"Impa claims to 'more than like me', too," Sheik scoffed, smiling at Link over the rim of his glass. His braid had long ago come free from its bindings, and his thick, silver-blond hair was tumbling haphazardly down around his face and over his shoulders. It was messy - an utter disaster, really - but to Link, it was still undeniably beautiful. He had to resist the urge to reach over and run his fingers through it.

"You don't feel like we're moving too quickly, do you?" Sheik asked after a moment, a hint of worry in his voice, "I mean, we've known each other just over a month, and we're already professing love for each other..."

Link would be lying if he said it wasn't a concern for him, too, as he'd asked himself the same question a hundred times since waking up from that awful dream. The conclusion he'd ultimately - if not accidentally - reached the night before when he'd told Sheik he loved him was that he couldn't help his feelings. Maybe it really was just that simple.

"I'm really not sure, to be honest. I've never been in love before, so I don't know how it's _supposed_ to go, but I don't really feel like there's a hard and fast rule for it, either. I know I care about you a lot. I love spending time with you. I love making you smile and laugh - even when it's at my own expense, heh. That's gotta count for something, right?"

"Yes," Sheik agreed, giving Link's hand a squeeze. "I suppose there is no 'right' timeline for these things. I remember my mother once telling me that she and my father had been in love nearly from the moment they'd met, and they were phenomenal together, even after almost twenty years." He cast his eyes down, smiling wistfully.

Sheik had told Link about his parents, about how they'd died in a fire. He had opened up about it during one of their many nights spent in deep conversation, and told him the story. It had happened seven years ago, when Sheik had been twelve. The fire had broken out in their home in the middle of the night when they'd all been sleeping. Being such a heavy sleeper, Sheik had nearly slept through the entire thing. His mother had become trapped under a fallen beam, and she'd pleaded with her husband to leave her and go save Sheik, as she knew very well that their son was likely to still be sleeping away, completely ignorant in his bed. Knowing she was right, he'd relented, rushing to Sheik and managing to get him out of the house. His father had kissed him on the head, told him that he and his mother both loved him, and then raced back inside the burning house. Sheik never saw either of them alive again.

Ironically, Sheik had never developed a fear of fire, just a deep-seeded resentment for his ability to sleep so soundly. With time, the biologist in him had learned to mostly accept his brain's unique wiring, but there were moments - like during their hunting trip - that it still bothered him.

"It was almost ridiculous, really, how in love they were," Sheik mused, "I never dreamed I'd even have a chance at something like that..."

Link raised Sheik's hand to his lips and kissed it, before giving him a wistful smile of his own. "Obviously neither of us can predict where this is going to go, but we can at least agree to enjoy the process, yeah?"

"Definitely," Sheik said, looking up at Link from under his eyelashes, causing that fire to spark in Link's belly once again. He still wasn't entirely sure if Sheik was ever making that expression on purpose, but he definitely liked it.

Link decided it was as good a time as any to bring up something else that had been bugging him. He swallowed. "How do you feel about... telling people? About us?"

Some of the colour drained from Sheik's face, and he let out a shaky breath. "I'm... I'm not sure I'm comfortable, yet. I've struggled with whether or not to be open ever since I figured myself out. I know there are others like us, but history has... not generally been kind to us."

Link nodded, feeling a strange mix of both relief and disappointment. He'd sort that out, later. "Okay. We certainly don't have to. I'm worried about it, too, to be honest. There's no rush. I had a good chat with Bolson about it the other day. He's actually really great to talk to, said I'm welcome to confide in him anytime, and I'm sure that offer extends to you, too."

Sheik raised his eyebrows slightly in surprise. "That's... nice. I've never actually had anyone to talk to about this before. Except you, of course," he added with a smile.

Link smiled himself, then grinned when he recalled what else he and Bolson had chatted about. "Erm... he also gave me some practical tips for when we... uh... decide to take things to the next level..."

The colour returned to Sheik's face in a rush, and he dropped his gaze. Link definitely caught him hiding a smile, though. "At least one of us will know what they're doing, then," he chuckled.

Link snorted in amusement, "I don't know if I'd go _that_ far." Their eyes met, and Link kissed Sheik's hand again, softly rubbing it with his thumb. "But, there's no rush for that, either."

The smell of cooking rice wafted past their noses, and Link's stomach audibly growled. Sheik's face, however, turned a rather distinct shade of green.

"I really don't know if I can eat that, Link," he moaned, cradling his head in his hands again.

"You have to, and since I'm your elder, you have no choice but to listen to me," Link quipped.

Sheik raised his head. "I'm older than you!"

"I was born nearly a hundred and nineteen years ago. I'm _definitely_ older than you."

"You were in a state of suspended animation for a hundred of those years," Sheik said, sitting back in his chair and crossing his arms, nausea apparently forgotten for the moment.

"Pffft. Semantics."

Sheik puffed out a chuckle, face splitting into a smile. "You're hopeless."

* * *

As much as Sheik hated to admit it, Link has been right. The rice definitely helped to settle his stomach, and he actually felt better than he had in hours. Now if only the damn headache would fuck off.

One thing was for sure, Sheik was never, ever going to drink like that again.

 _Ever_.

Link had laughed at him, for some reason, when he'd told him that, though. _Hmph._

Link had reluctantly gone home after their late lunch, giving Sheik a long, lingering parting kiss, promising to meet him in the clearing the following morning for some training.

Fighting the urge to simply go back to bed, Sheik had decided a bath was in order, and was busy heating some water when he heard a tapping on his kitchen window. He glanced up to see a majestic hawk perched on his windowsill. He recognized her immediately as one of the Sheikah's carrier birds, and he quickly moved to slide up the sash.

"What have you got for me, girl?" he asked, as he carefully untied the small scroll of parchment from the bird's leg. It squawked in response and began nipping at his fingers. Chuckling, Sheik put down the scroll and went to his pantry to retrieve a few strips of dried meat. The bird ate them greedily, before giving Sheik an affectionate nip on the ear. Chuckling again, he stroked her soft, golden feathers for a few moments before she turned, spread her vast wings, and took to the sky once more.

Sheik smiled after her for a moment, feeling a small pang of homesickness, before remembering the scroll. He picked it up, and noticed immediately that the seal bore the Hylian Crest rather than the Sheikah Eye he'd expected, denoting it as royal business. He furrowed his brow in confusion, wondering what in the world Queen Zelda could possibly want with him.

* * *

Link stared the vicious creature down, and it eyed him right back, almost as though it were issuing a challenge.

"Alright, we can do this the easy way, or the hard way," Link said, issuing his own challenge, though he knew he was at a disadvantage. He was already injured, with blood running freely down his right forearm as he attempted to keep his lacerated hand elevated. Besides that, he had no weapons within easy reach.

He doesn't usually expect to be attacked in his own home, after all.

Realizing that he was standing quite close to his storage closet, Link carefully opened the door, keeping his eyes fixed on the monster the entire time. He reached in and seized the only thing within arm's reach, which happened to be... a broom.

It would have to do. Link carefully withdrew it from the closet, and considered his next move. The creature cocked its head to the side in question, as if it, too, were trying to figure out what Link would do next.

Raising the broom in front of him, Link let out a ridiculous battle cry and charged straight towards the beast, hoping it would at least have the sense to just flee from his house in the same way that it had come in.

No dice. It let out an unholy shriek and charged towards him in turn, making itself appear as large as absolutely possible in the process. Link let out a yelp of fright, tossed his broom at the beast (which dodged it easily) and retreated to the nearest piece of furniture, standing behind it in order to put it between himself and his foe.

... Not his proudest moment.

"Link?" Sheik's voice sounded from the other side of his front door, "Are you alright in there?"

What was _he_ doing here? He... definitely couldn't let Sheik see him like this. Nor could he allow the Sheikah to get hurt, either.

"Everything's fine, Sheik," he called back, "just got a bit of a situation here, nothing I can't handle!"

The beast let out another shriek then, and scrabbled across the floor towards him, lifting itself up and landing cleanly on the back of the chair in front of Link, and snapped its ferocious jaws threateningly in front of his face. Link cried out again, and instinctively stepped backwards, effectively backing himself into a corner.

_Fuck!_

His front door burst open then, and Sheik charged inside, half-crouched and ready to spring, holding a kunai in each hand. He quickly surveyed the room with his warrior's eyes, assessing the situation in an instant... and then he paused. Link could actually see the fight deflate from his stance as his brow first pinched in confusion, and then his hands slowly lowered as his posture straightened up.

And then he burst out laughing.

"This is not funny, Sheik!" Link cried helplessly, still trapped in his corner. His enemy, still perched on the back of his chair, at least was no longer snapping at his face, since it had turned to instead focus its attention on the intruder.

"Maybe not from where you're standing," Sheik guffawed, clearly enjoying the situation far too much. Sheathing his knives, he extended his arm and let out a short, low whistle, and the creature suddenly spread its vast wings and flew over to settle gracefully on Sheik's outstretched arm.

"This is Kaya, one of the Sheikah's messenger hawks," Sheik explained, as he reached up to gently stroke the beast's feathers.

"It attacked me!" Link protested, holding up his bleeding hand.

Sheik clicked his tongue. " _Kaya,_ " he admonished, frowning slightly at the bird, "you're far too enthusiastic, sometimes." He moved over to Link's pantry and helped himself to a couple of strips of dried meat, before feeding them to the bird. As Link watched, incredulous, she gobbled them down hungrily, before giving Sheik an affectionate nibble on the ear, causing the Sheikah to let out a quiet - and adorable - giggle.

"She just wanted a treat," Sheik explained, "our messenger birds are used to being rewarded for doing their jobs."

"... Well, how was I supposed to know that?" Link complained, finally stepping out of his corner and taking a couple of tentative steps towards Sheik and... 'Kaya'. Seeing him approach, Kaya let out a short, clipped squawk of warning, and Link immediately jolted to a halt.

Sheik laughed again. Probably would have doubled right over if it weren't for the vicious beast still clinging to his arm.

* * *

"And here I thought the Hero of Hyrule wasn't afraid of anything," Sheik chuckled as he bandaged Link's hand.

"I wasn't _afraid_ ," Link protested, "I just... didn't have a lot of options."

"I heard at least two very fearful-sounding yelps from outside," Sheik pointed out.

"That beak was really damn sharp!" Link said, frowning, and Sheik laughed again. "Look, usually when I'm being attacked, I'm pretty okay with doing whatever it takes to take out my opponent. I didn't actually want to kill - or even injure - this one so, as I said, limited options."

Sheik glanced up at him as he began to tie off the bandage, still wearing an amused smile, and Link couldn't help but feel a flutter. He watched his boyfriend as he worked for a moment, a smile growing on his own face.

"Heh," Link chuckled suddenly, causing Sheik to glance up at him again, in question this time, "I did just say a couple of hours ago that I loved making you laugh, even if it was at my own expense..."

"You did indeed," Sheik agreed, finishing his task and kissing the bandage, not unlike a mother would do to a small child, "and I appreciate the entertainment."

Link snorted, and then leaned forward to give Sheik a quick kiss on the mouth. "Thanks," he smiled, raising his bandaged hand, "for the bandage, _and_ for saving my ass from the big, scary bird."

It was Sheik's turn to snort, "what would you do without me?"

"Honestly, I don't want to know," he replied, shaking his head. He pulled Sheik closer for another kiss, a deeper one this time.

They separated after a moment, and Link suddenly remembered the reason the hawk had shown up in the first place. With a muttered exclamation, he stood up and walked over to where he had dropped his scroll, forgotten when Kaya had decided to try and make a meal out of his fingers.

"It's from Zelda," he noted as he observed the seal. Zelda had written him a handful of times in the past several months, but had always used the regular mail routes, her lengthy letters always being much too heavy for carrier birds. _Must be urgent_ , Link realized with a slight frown.

"I received one, as well," Sheik said, "which is why I came over."

After breaking the seal, Link unrolled the small piece of parchment and read the brief note. When he'd finished, he lowered the parchment and looked at Sheik.

He couldn't tell if the feeling in his stomach was surprise, excitement, unease, or outright dread. He drew a deep breath.

"She's coming to Hateno in two days, and wants to meet with us both."

* * *

Neither Link nor Sheik could figure out why in the world Zelda was coming to Hateno Village. They both wracked their brains for two days, coming up with every reason from a simple friendly visit, to an official royal visit, to Zelda coming to appoint Link as her personal Knight again (but then, why would she want to see Sheik?)

It was maddening, to say the least, but Link had tried his hardest not to dwell, immersing himself in work during the day, and enjoying his time with Sheik in the evening.

It was close to evening, now, and Link had just finished his work day. Zelda was due to arrive at any time, and he and Sheik had decided it was only appropriate to greet her in their finest outfits.

Standing in front of his mirror, Link let out a long, shaky breath as he ran his hands down over the crisp blue of his Champion's tunic, smoothing the fabric. He hadn't worn it in nearly a year, and he couldn't say he was happy with the memories it was bringing back, but he sucked it up. He had no choice.

A knock at his door actually caused him to startle slightly, and he chuckled to himself, shaking his head.

_Get ahold of yourself, Link. Since when have you been so jumpy?_

He moved over to the door, figuring it was Sheik, and opened it. And then his jaw fell to the floor.

Sheik stood on the other side, dressed head to toe in his traditional Sheikah stealth set. Much as Link's own set had, it fit Sheik's body like a glove, hugging every graceful curve, every smooth muscle, every rise and fall of his chest as he breathed. Forcing his eyes upwards, Link took in Sheik's face, half hidden by his mask, the fierce ruby red of his eyes highlighted by the red Sheikah Eye emblazoned on the front of his chest. His long braid was wound up into a bun on the top of his head, secured in place by two hairsticks, leaving his shorter strands to remain down to frame his face.

Link was quite sure he felt something shifting in his pants.

As one delicate eyebrow raised above a stunning red eye, Sheik let out a self-conscious chuckle. "Like what you see?"

Link finally snapped his mouth shut and swallowed before ordering his tongue to work. "Y-yeah. I do. Definitely." He allowed his eyes to roam the Sheikah up and down once more, before shaking his head slightly. "By the _Three_..."

"... I'll take that as a compliment," Sheik laughed, "you look really good, too." He made no attempt to disguise his roaming eyes, either, taking a good, long look at Link in his Champion's tunic.

"Thanks," Link grinned.

"We should head down," Sheik said, "the Queen's entourage sent a runner ahead announcing that she'd be arriving in about 20 minutes."

Nodding, and doing his best to ignore his... little problem... Link closed his door behind him and, together, they walked down to the main village gate.

It seemed like the entire village had turned out to see the Queen arrive. Hateno hadn't seen a royal visit in well over a century, after all, so it was quite the occasion. Link and Sheik had to navigate their way through the crowd just to get to the front where the mayor, Reede, and his wife and daughter were already waiting.

Reede greeted them each with a warm smile and a hearty handshake. "Ah, quite the turnout, isn't it? I have to say, I'm actually a little nervous," Reede chuckled.

"I wonder if she'll be wearing a big, beautiful gown, like in the stories!" asked Karin, Reede's daughter.

Link chuckled, "I doubt it, Karin. Zel-, I mean, _Her Majesty_ is actually quite practical. I think she'll just be wearing normal travelling clothes."

"Awww," Karin pouted. "I bet she'll still be beautiful, though."

"Yes, she is that," Link agreed. _Although this Sheikah standing next to me is far more so_... Link thought, glancing to Sheik out of the corner of his eye.

"There they are!" someone shouted, and Link looked out beyond the gate. Indeed, a travelling party was making its way up the road towards the village. Link swallowed, a pang of nervousness taking hold of him again. Sheik must have sensed it, as his fingers brushed Link's ever so slightly, and Link couldn't help but shoot him the briefest of smiles in gratitude.

Nine riders were approaching the gate. Link spotted Dorian and Paya among them, along with what looked to be three more Sheikah and three Hylians. In the middle of them, protected on all sides, riding a beautiful white steed, was Queen Zelda.

She was as beautiful as ever, her very presence exuding an aura of poise and grace. Murmured 'oohs' and 'aahs' escaped the lips of many of the villagers, and Link couldn't help but smile.

Once they'd drawn near enough, the party halted. As Zelda swung down from her horse, unaided, Link noticed with a slight start that she'd cut her hair. Her normally waist-length locks now barely touched her shoulders. It was certainly a different look for her, but Link liked it, nonetheless. It seemed to make her look more mature.

Reede and his family approached her first, bowing and officially welcoming her and her party to Hateno Village. Karin, with stars in her eyes, presented the Queen with a modest bouquet of wildflowers, which Zelda graciously accepted.

With those pleasantries out of the way, Zelda turned her attention to Link, and their eyes met. She smiled and stepped closer to him, her guards close behind her.

"Your Grace," Link said, descending to one knee and bowing his head. Sheik followed suit.

"Din's _tits_ , Link, stand up," Zelda hissed quietly, before dissolving into a fit of laughter.

Link couldn't help but laugh, too, relieved that she still retained her sense of humour. They were both practically snorting by the time he had risen and reached out to embrace her. The Queen's entourage looked on in stone-faced professionalism, though Link was sure he caught the corners of Paya's mouth twitching.

"Of _all_ people, Link, you certainly don't need to bow to me," Zelda smiled as they separated.

"Eh, old habits die hard, I suppose," Link chuckled. He lifted his hand to sweep some stray golden locks out of her face, "you cut your hair. It looks nice."

"Thank you," she chuckled, "tying it up every day for training got to be too much of a hassle, so one day I took my sword to it and just sliced it off. You should have seen the look on my instructor's face!"

Link laughed out loud. Thinking of her stubbornness and practicality working together in equal measure like that, he had no trouble imagining the scene.

"Your training is going that well, huh?" he chuckled.

"I fear I'll never be as good as you with a sword, but I like to think I could at least stand half a chance at defending myself now, if need be," she smirked.

She turned her attention to Sheik, and he immediately straightened his already-perfect posture.

"It is good to see you again, Sheik. I trust your studies under Purah have been going well?"

"Yes, Your Grace, very well," Sheik replied, his voice betraying just a hint of nervousness, "I thank you again for the opportunity."

Zelda nodded, and turned to Reede. "I understand you've made accommodations for us at the Ton Pu Inn?"

Reede stepped forward immediately, followed closely by Prima. "Yes, Your Grace. Prima here will see to your every need."

"Wonderful. We've been travelling all day and we are tired and hungry. We would appreciate the opportunity to rest."

"Of course," Prima put in, with a bit of a clumsy curtsy, "our rooms are very humble, but my staff and I will do whatever we can to make you comfortable."

"'Humble' suits me just fine, dear Prima," Zelda assured her. She turned back to Link and Sheik as Prima's staff members rushed forward to help with horses and luggage alike. With the immediate attention off of her, Zelda's mood seemed to shift.

"I'm sure you are both wondering why I've asked to see you," she said quietly so that none one else would hear, and Link's stomach shifted uneasily, "there is much to discuss, and there isn't time for everything tonight. I ask you both to meet me up at the Ancient Tech Lab tomorrow morning, and I will explain everything."

Looking troubled, she reached out and took Link's hand with both of hers, her gaze fixed at their feet.

"I'm afraid I must break my promise to you, Link." Her sorrowful green eyes rose to meet his. "Once again, Hyrule needs you. I need you."


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter specific warning: x-rated action forthcoming! This is my very first time writing sex, so please be kind. ;) 
> 
> I respect that not everyone wants to read in-work sex, so I've marked the section with a double page break, so you may skip it if you like.

* * *

_Rest assured that if I should ever require your services as a knight again, I will ask. But, I promise, you will_ always _be able to say no..._

_I'm afraid I must break my promise to you, Link. Once again, Hyrule needs you. I need you..._

The world seemed to spiral for a moment, and Link blinked, simultaneously taking a deep breath. Honestly, what he really wanted to do, more than anything, was look to Sheik, already knowing that he would find all the strength he needed in those comforting ruby eyes, but he forced his gaze to remain on Zelda. And then he forced a big, fat, fake smile onto his face.

"N-not just a social call, then, huh?" he chuckled, fully aware of how fraudulent he must have sounded.

Still holding both of his hands in hers, Zelda gave them an almost desperate squeeze. Completely losing her usual composure, she began to babble. "It's nothing like before, Link! I promise! This is only temporary, and you won't be alone, this time. But, it's important, and I do need you. Both of you," she added, looking at Sheik.

Link finally did look at Sheik, then, but not before first glancing down at his hands, which were still being held by Zelda's. At the not so subtle cue, she mercifully released him.

Sheik bowed his head respectfully as they both looked at him, and he cleared his throat. "Forgive me, Your Grace, but, um, why is it that you need me?"

"Because you are the best tracker the Sheikah have seen in decades," Zelda replied, matter-of-factly.

Link's eyebrows shot up to his hairline. It seemed his boyfriend had been being rather modest about his skills.

Sheik's ears turned crimson, and Link was quite sure that the cheeks under his mask were probably the same shade, as well.

"... Um... I see," Sheik said, blinking rapidly, obviously flustered by the praise. "So we'll be tracking something, then?"

Realization hit Link like a ton of bricks. "Those strange tracks we found in East Necluda... is that what this is about?"

Zelda glanced around. Most of the villagers had begun to disperse, but some were still milling about. About half of Zelda's guards were hanging back, keeping a watchful but respectful distance from their queen.

"As I said, there is much to discuss. But, yes, those tracks you found are a part of it. I promise, I will explain everything tomorrow."

"Alright," Link conceded, forcing another smile onto his face.

* * *

The sun was low on the horizon by the time Sheik and Link had begun to head back up the road that lead to their houses.

Link was wearing that unreadable look, again. The one he got when he was withdrawing into himself, deep in thought. Sheik desperately wanted to hold his hand, but as they were technically still in public, he reigned in the urge.

When they drew near to Sheik's house, Link finally spoke.

"Have you eaten, yet?"

"No, I didn't have time before the Queen arrived."

"Come over, then?" Link asked, expression suddenly edging into puppy-dog-eyes territory. Sheik nodded, smiling under his mask.

As soon as they had entered Link's house and Link had closed the door, he turned to Sheik and wrapped his arms around him, drawing him close. Sheik uttered a small sound of surprise, before wrapping his own arms around Link's back.

"Sorry," Link mumbled into the cowl around Sheik's neck, "I've just been wanting to hold you for a while."

"I don't mind," Sheik smiled, "you can hold me as long as you like."

"Mmm. Don't tempt me," Link smiled, pulling back and kissing Sheik on the forehead, since his mouth was still covered. Speaking of which, Sheik reached up and removed the mask, then unwound the cowl from his neck. He deposited them both on the counter, before leaning up and giving Link a proper kiss on the mouth.

"Are you alright?" Sheik asked, reaching up and gently sweeping Link's bangs out of his eyes.

"Yes," Link answered, confidently. "I am, really." He planted another kiss on Sheik before gently pulling away and heading over to his icebox. "I mean, I was definitely thrown off, at first. Honestly felt like I was going to pass out for a split second, there, really..." He shook his head, and turned back around, a plate of leftover meaty rice balls in his hand. He placed it on the table and grabbed a second plate from the cupboard, gesturing for Sheik to sit down. He pushed the full plate towards him so that he could take what he wanted, before digging in himself.

"But I thought about it while we were walking up here," Link continued, around mouthfuls of his cold dinner, "she's not trying to rip my life away from me. She's not making me her personal knight, or sending me on some idiot-forsaken, goddess-appointed quest. She just needs my help with something. I can do that. Right?"

Sheik swallowed his food before meeting Link's eyes. "Are you asking me, or yourself?"

Link paused for a moment, before chuckling. "You and that therapist grandmother of yours."

They finished the rest of their meal in amiable silence. Even cold, it was still delicious - Link truly was a very good cook. Sheik gazed at Link from across the table, and found no traces of concern or worry on his handsome face. In fact, he almost looked content. Sheik couldn't help but smile.

Link caught him. "What?" he asked, with a small smile of his own.

Sheik blushed. "... It's lame..."

"Tell me."

"I'm... just happy that you're happy." Sheik shrugged. "A couple of months ago, being called back into the queen's service would have been one of your worst nightmares. You're taking it extremely well."

"It's really all thanks to you, you know," Link said, seriously. "You're the one that helped me see the bigger picture. Helped me realize that, not only do I deserve a shot at being happy, but that not everyone is out to rip that happiness away from me, either."

"I hope that's not a hero complex I'm detecting, there," Sheik half joked.

"It's not," Link said seriously, shaking his head, "I would hope I'd know how to recognize that, by now."

Sheik laughed, then stood up and grabbed both of their empty plates. He walked over to the sink and put them in, then felt Link pressing himself against his back. He snaked his arms around Sheik's chest, and Sheik instantly lifted his hands up to hold them.

"I love you," Link said into his ear. "I don't care if it's too soon, or even if you don't completely feel the same way, yet, but I can't deny it. I love you, Sheik."

"I do feel the same way. I love you, too, Link," Sheik said, heart bursting. He tipped his head back to rest the side of his face against Link's.

And then one of his hairsticks nearly took out Link's eye.

" _Ow,_ " Link said suddenly, pulling away and laughing.

Sheik laughed, too, turning around to assess the damage. There wasn't any, thankfully.

"Shit, I'm sorry! This hair really is a pain to manage, sometimes. Perhaps I should take a page out of the queen's book and just take my sword to it," Sheik continued to laugh, but Link looked absolutely scandalized, all trace of humour vanishing in an instant.

"Don't you _dare_ ," he breathed, genuine horror evident in his voice. He reached up and gently removed the hairsticks, causing Sheik's braid to tumble down his back. "This hair was spun by the goddesses themselves. It would be an absolute sin to cut it..." Link pulled the braid forward over Sheik's shoulder and held it in his hands. He fingered the tie at the end for a moment, before glancing up into Sheik's eyes.

"May I?" he asked, and Sheik nodded. Link carefully removed the tie, and slowly began to unwind the braid. He let the soft strands of hair flow through his fingers as he worked, an almost reverent expression on his face.

For some reason, Sheik almost had the feeling that he was being undressed, and something stirred deep within him. His heart rate picked up slightly and, all of a sudden, he realized he wanted more. Much more.

He reached up and gently took Link's hands, halting his actions. He raised those hands to his mouth and kissed them, before looking up into Link's eyes. When their eyes met, Sheik momentarily felt like all of the breath had been knocked out of him, but he held fast onto those brilliant sapphires, and the next thing he knew, Link's lips had crashed into his.

Everything happened very quickly after that. Sheik submitted to the kiss instantly, his eyes fluttering closed, his hands moving up to wrap tightly around Link's shoulders. Link's arms moved in turn to surround Sheik, one hand on his neck, the other at the small of his back, pressing their bodies together. The moment Link's tongue ran over his lips, he gladly opened his mouth to allow him in. Their tongues entwined, and Sheik suddenly found his backside bumping into the edge of Link's dining table.

Struck by an impulsive idea, he deftly hopped up onto the table without breaking the kiss, and parted his legs to allow Link to settle between his thighs. Before he even realized what he was doing, he grasped Link's hips and firmly pulled him closer, and was surprised to feel the beginnings of an arousal - one to match his own - pressing through the fabric of Link's pants. The feel of that semi-hard length against him nearly caused every one of his brain cells to abandon ship, and he suddenly had to consciously stop himself from thrusting his own hips forward.

Link paused for a moment to take in their very suggestive position, then he looked into Sheik's eyes. The question was not voiced, but it couldn't be any clearer.

"I want you," Sheik answered the unspoken query, his eyes lidded, his voice low and breathless.

"A-are you sure?" Link, bless him, looked incredibly nervous but, to his credit, he didn't break their eye contact.

"Yes," Sheik said, nodding. Then he added, "if... if you'll have me."

Link's eyes widened for a fraction of a second. "Of course! I mean, oh goddesses Sheik, I want you, too." He raised both of his hands up to Sheik's face, and gently stroked his cheeks with his thumbs.

"Only if you're sure. I... I don't want to, um, take advantage of your... emotional state... or anything..."

Link was already shaking his head, a small smile upon his lips. "Sheik, you aren't taking advantage of anything. I want this just as much as you do."

Sheik's heart was pounding, and his thoughts were going haywire, but he was sure of this - in fact, he'd never been so sure of anything in his life. "Alright, then."

* * *

_xxx_

* * *

Sheik tilted his head forward and pressed their lips together once again. Link eagerly returned the kiss, his hands slipping from Sheik's face to dive into his hair, effectively freeing it from the rest of its braid, and then they moved to trace down the sides of Sheik's body. Sheik's hands were everywhere on Link - his hair, his shoulders, his back.

Link broke the kiss to draw in a badly needed breath, and dipped his head down to start kissing Sheik's neck. He instantly threw his head back to give him more access, and when Link started to lightly suck on the tender flesh, Sheik let out an involuntary - and, to his mild embarrassment, very lewd-sounding - moan. It only seemed to spur Link on, however, as he gave a pleased hum and started to add a few light nips. Unable to take it anymore, Sheik wrapped his legs around Link's waist and finally rolled his hips forward, delighting in the friction it caused - and the light moan it elicited from his partner.

Link abruptly halted his assault on the Sheikah's neck, and moved his hands down to grasp the underside of his thighs. In a show of strength, Link easily lifted him from the table, as if he weighed nothing, and immediately headed towards the stairs leading up to his bedroom. Sheik kept his legs and arms wrapped around him, and busied himself with kissing and nibbling the shell of the Hylian's ear. Link climbed the stairs quickly and then, very gently, laid Sheik down on the bed. He hovered over him for a moment, simply staring into his eyes.

"We're really going to do this," Link said, an adorable look of innocent wonderment on his face. Sheik suspected that he was wearing a very similar expression, himself.

They were kissing again, seemingly unable to keep their mouths off of each other, and Sheik was quickly becoming most unsatisfied with the amount of clothing they were both still wearing. Shyness be damned, he wanted it all out of the way. Now.

His hands found the hem of Link's Champion's tunic and began to tug it upwards, Link quickly catching on and lifting himself enough to allow Sheik to pull it off in one smooth motion, undershirt and all. Sheik relished the feel of the warm, bare skin that was now under his hands. Link's fingers moved in turn to start working on the various buckles and clasps on Sheik's armour. He soon had to break their kiss again in order to concentrate on the task, however, the sheer number of fastenings being nearly impossible to manage blind.

Having little success, Link let out a sound somewhere between a laugh and a frustrated growl. " _Who_ designed these things?" he asked in amusement.

"Clearly not someone who was enjoying regular romps in the bedroom," Sheik lamented, taking pity on Link and beginning to work on the various straps and buckles himself. Link smiled and resumed his assault on the Sheikah's neck, kissing and marking whatever skin he could reach.

After what seemed like forever, Sheik finally finished unfastening everything, and Link eagerly began helping him to remove the outfit. He started with the arm wrappings, then the shoulder pauldrons, and finally, the shirt itself. As he pulled it upwards, Link slowly, teasingly kissed all up the length of Sheik's torso. Once the garment was finally over Sheik's head and had been blindly tossed aside, Link moved back to take a nipple in his mouth. He deftly teased it with his tongue, while gently squeezing the other with his fingers, causing Sheik to gasp and even let out a few soft moans.

The tightness in his already too-tight pants was becoming nearly unbearable by this point, and he tried shifting under Link's ministrations enough to shimmy out of them himself. Link didn't take long to notice.

"Eager, are we?" he teased.

"Shut up," Sheik playfully groused, "so are you." He reached between Link's legs, surprising even himself with his boldness, and cupped the very hard erection he found through the fabric of his pants, giving it a light squeeze. The touch nearly caused Link to collapse onto him.

"Point taken," he gasped. He mercifully decided to help Sheik out the rest of his clothes, the skintight fabric of the pants practically needing to be peeled from his legs. Link then took a moment to take in the sight of the now fully exposed Sheikah, and he was left nearly breathless. Sheik couldn't help but feel a little self-conscious, and felt his already flushed cheeks heating up even more.

"Goddesses, Sheik... you're so incredibly beautiful," Link reassured him, before allowing his fingers to carefully trace down Sheik's sides, eventually settling on his hips. "Hylia help me..."

Sheik smiled, self-consciousness already melting away.

"Your turn," Sheik reminded him, looking pointedly at Link's pants. Link reacted immediately, and proceeded to remove them at a pace that was almost comic. Definitely not wanting to miss any of that, Sheik propped himself up on his elbows to get a better view, and drank in the sight of him. He had felt Link's body under his clothes before, but nothing compared to properly seeing it. He was extremely well toned - not quite as lithe as Sheik, but not bulky, either. He was covered in scars - mostly fine, thin ones, but some bigger, more ragged ones as well. A permanent testament to the price of being the Chosen Hero. In Sheik's opinion, the marks simply added to his beauty, and he was seized by the urge to kiss every last one of them.

Link swallowed, and suddenly looked nervous again, slightly unsure of what to do next. Taking some initiative, Sheik sat up to meet him. In another bold move, he raised himself up to sit astride Link's lap, surprising them both, and drew him into another kiss.

"You're beautiful, too, Link," he said, drawing back just enough to look into his eyes, and he ran his hands lovingly down over the front of his scarred chest. He moved his mouth down to start kissing some of those scars, starting with one on his shoulder, occasionally flicking his tongue out to run over the slightly raised skin.

"Ohh _gods... Sheik_..."

Link buried his hands in the softness of Sheik's hair, arching his chest into Sheik's touches. He kissed his hair a few times, and then, wanting skin, he moved to his ear, then the juncture of his neck and shoulder. When Sheik abandoned kissing Link's scars in favour of tipping his head back and moaning lightly, Link hugged him more closely and began to suck at the hollow of his throat. Their lips eventually found each other's again, and they kissed heatedly, clinging desperately to each other as their tongues dove into each other's mouths.

"Sheik," Link asked, lips still pressed to the other's lips, "may I touch you?"

Sheik knew immediately what Link meant. Their arousals were pressed between them - hard, proud, and very obvious.

"Yes," he whispered back. When Link's hand slipped down between them to gently grasp Sheik's shaft, he couldn't help but gasp into Link's mouth. His eyes nearly rolled back into his head as they fluttered closed, and he softly gripped his nails into Link's shoulders.

"You can touch me, too..." Link breathed, and Sheik found his trembling hand already moving down, almost of its own accord. His fingers closed around the hot, velvety flesh, and it was Link's turn to gasp. It was so different from touching his own, and Sheik almost felt tears pricking at his eyes, the intimacy of what they were doing actually causing him to become physically emotional.

He squeezed his eyes shut as they both began to stroke each other and, perhaps it was because it was his first time doing this with someone else, but it didn't take long at all for a tight, pleasant tension to begin coiling low in Sheik's belly.

"Oh Link... Oh _gods_..." he moaned shamelessly into Link's ear, completely unable to control himself. "Aahh... _ngh!_ "

They both climaxed at nearly the same moment, Sheik burying his cry into Link's shoulder, Link groaning softly into Sheik's hair. They both panted for a moment, before Link reached over to the nightstand and grabbed a cloth.

"I didn't... quite mean for that to happen yet," Link said, a little sheepishly.

"Me neither, but it's okay," Sheik whispered, smiling, as Link wiped up the mess. Tossing the cloth aside, Link then cupped Sheik's face in his hands while Sheik looked back, almost dazedly, into his eyes.

"Are you absolutely sure you want to keep going?" Link asked.

Sheik nodded quickly. "Yes," he breathed, almost surprising himself with how badly he wanted this, how badly he wanted _Link_.

"Okay." Link kissed him again, tenderly, passionately. Without breaking the kiss, he lifted himself onto his knees, taking Sheik with him, and carefully lowered him down onto his back once more. Link sat up and slid his hands down Sheik's chest, his stomach, and over his hips, smoothly letting them come to rest on his open thighs. Sheik shivered in anticipation.

Smiling, Link leaned down and kissed Sheik once more, and then reached over to the nightstand again. This time, he pulled open the drawer and withdrew a glass jar. At Sheik's quizzical look, Link opened the jar and dipped his fingers into the slick substance and held them up for Sheik to see. "Um, it's oil. I have to get you ready first, and apparently this will make things go a lot... more smoothly," he chuckled.

Understanding dawned quickly, and Sheik let out a chuckle of his own. "I see. I have to admit, I was actually a little worried about that part..."

Link's face changed instantly. "W-we don't have to! Please don't think I'm expecting you to-"

Sheik interrupted him by grabbing the oil-coated hand and guiding it down between his legs ( _where_ was all of this boldness coming from?!) and giving Link the most meaningful glare he could manage, "just get on with it."

Link looked shocked for a grand total of about half a second before he recovered, and then his face spread into a devilish grin. "As you wish."

Placing his clean hand back on Sheik's thigh, Link began by slowly circling an oiled finger around Sheik's entrance. Even that was enough to make Sheik gasp and arch his back slightly up off of the bed. _No one_ had ever touched him there before - hell, he'd barely ever touched _himself_ there before - and it was incredibly sensitive. A wave of embarrassment threatened to overtake him, but he managed to stave it off by reminding himself how much he trusted Link.

Breath coming in ragged gasps, he fisted his hands in the sheets and willed his body to relax, and soon Link was gently pressing his finger in. Thanks to the oil, it went in easily, but it still caused Sheik to let out a soft moan, and he raised a fist to his open mouth. He was quickly becoming quite undone under the Hylian's _very_ intimate touches. He could already feel himself growing hard again.

"Is that alright?" Link asked, oh so softly, his care and concern causing Sheik's heart to swell despite the myriad of sensations coursing throughout his body.

As breathless as he was, Sheik could only nod enthusiastically. Yes, yes it was _definitely_ alright. Link's finger in him was... strange - it definitely felt foreign - but at the same time, it felt... _really_ good. He simultaneously wanted to pull away, and thrust himself further onto it.

"Tell me if it's too much..."

"I'm okay," Sheik gasped, cracking his eyes open to meet Link's gaze, "keep going."

After he had relaxed some more, Link added a second finger, and eventually, a third. It was always painful at first, but it never took very long for Sheik to adjust.

With his free hand, Link lifted one of Sheik's legs and hooked it over his shoulder, hugging it to himself as he softly kissed the inner thigh. The new angle seemed to deepen the sensation of the fingers inside him, and Sheik could only gasp and whine in pleasure. If he hadn't been feeling so damn _amazing_ , he might have had enough sense to be embarrassed by the noises pouring out of him.

" _Oh gods Link_..." he moaned.

Link continued to patiently stretch him open by gently thrusting his fingers in and out, and occasionally scissoring them. But then Link started to slowly curl his fingers around a little, and something happened...

" _Aaahh!_ "

A bolt of pleasure had shot through Sheik's body like lightning, causing stars to dance behind his closed eyelids. He opened his eyes and lifted his head to look at Link, who was looking quite proud of himself.

"What was that?!"

"This?" Link asked, smirking slightly. He cheekily looked Sheik dead in the eye and stroked that same spot again.

" _Link!_ " Sheik cried out, squeezing his eyes shut again, "yes, that! Ohh _fuuuck_..."

"Hee. I can't believe I actually found it..." Link mused, almost to himself. Sheik was too delirious with pleasure to care what the hell he was talking about. He threw his face to the side, balling one fist into the sheets, the other grasping his pillow. He was an absolute _mess_ , positively writhing under Link's touch.

Link withdrew his fingers then, leaving Sheik feeling almost painfully empty, and carefully placed his leg back down on the bed. Sheik opened his eyes to find Link once again holding the jar of oil. He could see that Link had grown hard again, as well, likely more than a little turned on by watching Sheik coming completely and utterly undone. Link scooped some more oil out of the jar, and proceeded to coat his shaft with the slick substance, tossing the jar onto the nightstand and wiping his hand on the cloth.

"Are you ready, love?"

"Oh gods, yes," Sheik breathed.

Grinning at Sheik's state, Link positioned himself over him, pressing their chests together. He used one hand to guide himself, while the other tangled in Sheik's hair. Pausing for just a moment to savour their shared eye contact, he took a deep breath before kissing Sheik tenderly on the mouth. The tip of his member met Sheik's entrance, and he gently began to push. As he pressed, the pressure built ever so slowly, and Sheik squeezed his eyes shut and let out the smallest whimper.

He willed himself once again to relax, and then suddenly Sheik gasped at the same time that Link moaned. He was _in_ him. And it hurt - oh it hurt so much more than the fingers had - but the pain was worth every ounce of the veritable flood of emotions that threatened to burst from Sheik's chest. The tears did come, this time, from both the pain and the nearly overwhelming emotion, and a quiet sob caught in his throat.

Link was startled. "Sheik! Are you alright?"

Sheik could only close his eyes and nod, causing a couple of tears to slip free. Finally, he forced his tongue to work, "y-yeah..." he stuttered out, "it... ha... it h-hurts a little..."

"Should I-" Link fretted, beginning to shift his weight back.

"No!" Sheik's eyes flew open and he clutched onto Link's back like his life depended on it. "Please don't. Just... give me a minute?"

"Of course," Link whispered, keeping his body absolutely still, only dipping his head down enough to kiss Sheik's tears, softly stroking his cheeks with his thumbs, "oh, love..."

Closing his eyes again, Sheik focused on regulating his breathing. Years of intensely focused warrior training had, at the very least, given him some modicum of control over nearly every muscle in his body, and it turned out that this particular one wasn't really much different. Soon, the pain subsided enough to be manageable, and Sheik opened his eyes, red meeting blue, and he nodded. "Okay," he breathed, "just... start slow..."

Link nodded in turn, then kissed Sheik's lips again before he slowly, gently began to move. The pain returned at first, and Sheik gritted his teeth, almost considering asking Link to stop again, but it wasn't long before a sense of pleasure began to mix with the pain. Link kept the pace extremely slow, and Sheik couldn't help but marvel at his self-restraint. His heart melted at how lovingly Link was treating him.

Pain steadily lessening, Sheik found himself finally able to focus on the act, itself. The feeling of Link inside of him was one of absolute _fullness_ \- both literally and figuratively. They were truly one - joined together as close as two people could physically be, and he marvelled at just how _incredible_ it felt - physically and emotionally.

Burying his hands in Link's hair, Sheik desperately kissed him once again, and experimentally began to roll his hips upward to meet Link's movements. Encouraged, Link began to move a little faster, and Sheik couldn't stop himself from softly moaning into Link's mouth - much to the Hylian's delight. Though before long, Link was making some sounds of his own, and had to pull away from the kiss in order to put all of his concentration into his task.

Pain long gone now and fully immersed in nothing but pleasure, Sheik began to match Link's thrusts more eagerly. That drove Link to pick up the pace even more and, together, they found their rhythm. When Link did something to adjust his angle, and he began to hit that special spot again, Sheik couldn't help the cries that poured out of his open mouth. The room was soon filled with the percussive sound of skin on skin and a carnal chorus of gasps and breathless moans.

"Sheik... you feel absolutely amazing," Link whispered between pants.

"Ah... you do, too... oh _gods_ Link..."

The entire world fell away. It was just the two of them, the only two souls in existence. Bodies and hearts joined together as one, everything outside of their immediate space disappeared completely as they thoroughly and absolutely surrendered everything to each other.

Link found one of Sheik's hands and gently pinned it beside his head, lacing their fingers together, and he buried his other hand in the Sheikah's hair, kissing his face and neck whenever he had enough breath to do so. He moved quickly and steadily now, chasing his own pleasure, as much as giving it. Sheik draped his free arm over Link's neck, and wrapped his legs around his waist. Their eyes met again, and Sheik was lost.

"Link..." he moaned, "oh Link I'm close..." He squeezed his eyes shut and tipped his head back, fully expecting to be tumbling over the edge at any second.

Link beat him to it. Letting out a long, low moan, he suddenly snapped his hips fully forward, his entire body tensing and shuddering, and Sheik could feel his hot release filling him. It was more than enough to send him over, and he came with a sharp cry of his own, spilling his own seed between them once again. It was far more intense than the first orgasm. Waves of euphoria crashed over his entire body - his back arched, his toes curled, and his fingers dug into the tender flesh of Link's back. Link continued to gently rock into him a few more times, as they rode out the sensations together. He finally stilled, resting his head on Sheik's shoulder.

After a few moments, he lifted his head and caressed Sheik's face, staring into his eyes, the action speaking far louder than words ever could. Sheik stared back, until they both tilted their chins towards each other and kissed slowly and deeply. As they both still needed to catch their breaths, however, Link soon rested his head back onto Sheik's shoulder. He pulled out of him, then, and Sheik almost whined at the loss of that fullness inside of him, but thankfully restrained himself. They continued to simply lay there, both panting and quietly basking in the afterglow.

As he held onto his lover, breathing in his scent, Sheik was dimly aware that he was wearing a bit of a dazed smile on his face, his mind lazily processing what they had just done. The thought that they had just shared something so profoundly intimate, had been so absolutely and completely connected, was nearly overwhelming. Sheik had never felt _so much_ all at once, and it was the most amazing feeling he'd ever experienced. The biologist in him knew that a multitude of brain chemicals were responsible for this blissful, post-orgasmic haze, but he didn't care. He simply soaked it up and enjoyed it.

He wasn't sure how much time had passed - seconds? Minutes? _Days_? Who knew - but he suddenly registered that Link was smiling down at him, nothing but adoration in his beautiful blue eyes. He leaned down and placed his lips on Sheik's again, but this time he simply held a long, lazy kiss for several seconds before pulling back. Link flopped down beside him then, and raised a hand to caress Sheik's face. Sheik turned towards him, happily nuzzling his face into Link's touch.

"That was... pretty damn incredible." Link said, looking directly into Sheik's eyes.

"It was," Sheik agreed. "I highly suggest we do it again sometime."

"Gladly," Link grinned, and reached over to the nightstand to grab the cloth. "It's pretty messy business, though," he laughed sheepishly, carefully wiping them them both of said mess. He tossed the cloth aside and reached down to pull the blankets up over the both of them. He then wrapped his arms around Sheik, drawing him in to snuggle against his chest.

"Did it hurt a lot?" Link asked, burying his lips in Sheik's hair, concern evident in his voice.

"It did at first. But it... got better." Sheik smiled into Link's chest. "A _lot_ better."

"Good," Link said, sounding relieved. "I'm sorry I came first. I swear, I was trying to hold back. I mean, I got pretty carried away near the end, but before that..."

Sheik couldn't help but chuckle. " _Someone_ has to come first. I was honestly quite impressed at your self-control. At least at the beginning," he smirked. "Not that I have much basis for comparison, of course."

"Me neither. I guess we can figure all of this stuff out together, huh?" Link sighed contentedly, closing his eyes and tightening his hold a little. "I love you, Sheik."

"I love you, too," Sheik said, allowing his eyes to slip closed. He was suddenly so very tired. Judging by the already steady feel of Link's breathing, he wasn't the only one.


End file.
